AKRON, Ohio (AP) — The 21-year-old mother of a 17-month-old Ohio boy who died after swallowing methamphetamine has been sentenced to life in prison.
Two other people prosecutors say were involved in the February death of Patrick Lerch in the filthy, rat-infested basement of an Akron home also were sentenced to prison Tuesday.
Patrick's mother, Heather, was sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 22 years. She was convicted in a jury trial last month.
The judge also sentenced 22-year-old Ronald Legg to life in prison with no parole for at least 27 years. Legg is the brother of Lerch's boyfriend. According to court testimony, he stuffed a coffee filter saturated with meth inside the child's mouth.
Another defendant, 25-year-old Allen Kostra, was sentenced to nine years in prison.
