Death penalty not sought for mother, co-parents accused of killing 7-year-old boy, prosecutor says

CINCINNATI (WXIX/Gray News) - A mother and two other suspects are facing additional charges in the killing of a young child, but they might not be facing the death penalty. [KTRE]

Three adults accused of fatally abusing a 7-year-old boy in Cincinnati face an expanded list of criminal charges following a grand jury indictment this week. Kaitlin Evans, Kirby Rankin and Nessa Keaney — who served as parental figures to the child — were each indicted on 13 counts, including aggravated murder, felony assault and kidnapping, according to authorities in Hamilton County.

The boy, William Michael Evans-Ellis, was discovered dead inside a closet at the family's Oakley home on a Thursday afternoon last week. Law enforcement officials arrested the three defendants shortly after the discovery. During her initial court appearance, Evans entered a not guilty plea to the charges she faces.

According to investigative findings, the child endured repeated severe beatings and various forms of torture, including burning, submersion in water and strangulation. He sustained substantial head trauma from impact injuries concentrated at the back of his skull. The coroner's office determined that blunt force trauma to the head served as the immediate cause of death, though William bore numerous injuries distributed across his body.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich announced Friday that she was not yet pursuing capital punishment in the case, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation. "We've had 10 days right now. So this investigation is definitely still ongoing," Pillich said, noting that assembling evidence, compiling witness accounts and reviewing video footage in homicide cases typically requires months of work.

A conviction on the aggravated murder charge could result in either a life sentence without possibility of parole or capital punishment. Pillich characterized the defendants' actions as failures of parental responsibility, stating she intended to ensure they "never again see the light of day" and cannot harm another child.