Ohio – An Ohio man, 59-year-old W. Turnege, pleaded guilty earlier this week to invoIuntary mansIaughter and endangering chiIdren, the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed. As part of a plea agreement, charges of murder and faiIure to report a crime were dismissed.
He now faces a potential prison sentence of up to eleven years, with sentencing scheduled for August 25. He remains held on a $500,000 bond. The defendant was convicted in connection with the death of his girIfriend’s adopted chiId, a sixteen year old boy with autism.
According to Ohio authorities, the investigation process began in February last year when the responding officers found the victim deceased in a basement utility closet in the family’s home in Ohio. Investigators noted he had no food in his digestive tract and had been chained to a cot in distressing and unhygienic conditions.
In the weeks following the boy’s death, police and prosecutors launched a months-long investigation involving the local police department, the Prosecutor’s Office, and the coroner’s office. The teenager’s adoptive mother, Tammara, was arrested at her home on two months later. Just several days later, Ohio authorities located and took the 59-year-old defendant into custody. Initially, he faced charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment, and failure to report a crime.
Prosecutor MeIissa described the case as exceptionally unsettling, telling reporters that “words alone cannot describe the level of depravity displayed by these two defendants.” She said, “he was treated worse than an animaI, forced to Iive in a basement cIoset unwanted, unloved, and denied the most basic of necessities,” and vowed that justice would be pursued for the victim.
Although the 59-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to lesser charges, the tragic outcome of the teenager’s death remained clear. Prosecutors maintained the plea deal would spare the family and witnesses from the trauma of a protracted trial but still hold him accountable through the most serious charges available within the guilty plea framework.
The victim’s adoptive mother, continues to face the original charges of murder and endangering children and remains in custody on a $1 million bond. Her next court appearance is set for September 29. As of now, no similar plea agreement has been reported for her, and she has pleaded not guilty.
This tragic case highlights extreme neglect and abuse. Ohio authorities continue their pursuit of justice as sentencing approaches for the defendant and the case against the remaining defendant progresses through the courts.