( KNZA )-A Hiawatha man has entered a plea to charges in an amended complaint in the death of his 4-year-old son, and a second arrest has been made in the case.
Brown County Attorney Kevin Hill says 27-year-old Lee Davis IV pleaded no contest Monday in Brown County District Court to charges of second-degree murder and felony child abuse.
Davis had originally been charged with first-degree murder in the beating death of his son in March.
Sentencing was set for May31st.
Meanwhile, Hill says Davis' live-in girlfriend, 28-year-old Janice Summerford, was arrested Tuesday on charges of aiding and abetting murder in the 2nd degree, aiding and abetting felony child abuse and obstructing apprehension or prosecution.
Hill said an investigation revealed Summerford was present at the time of the beating.
He said following intensive interviews with Sheriff’s investigator Randy Linck and himself last Friday, Davis acknowledged his role in the beating of his son, which ultimately resulted in the child’s death two days later.
He said based on the forensic examination and investigation by law enforcement, it was determined that the tragic death of the child was not premeditated by the individuals involved, but was the result of a beating that got way out of hand.
Hill said that without the many long hours of investigation put in by the Brown County Sheriff's Office, Hiawatha Police Department, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and DFC's forensic interviewer, the full picture of what occurred may never have been known.
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