According to the court documents, the 27-year-old man from Virginia was sentenced to two life terms in prison plus 90 years on Tuesday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and abuse in connection with the death of his girlfriend’s son. Authorities say that the 27-year-old man last month pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse and neglect in the Jan. 2019 death of a 2-year-old boy.
A jury had previously found him, McKenzie Kyle Hellman, guilty on multiple charges of physical and sexual abuse of Meek, including accessory to object sexual penetration of a child, accessory to forcible sodomy, accessory to produce and distribute child sexual abuse material (child pornography), and possession of child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced to two life sentences for the abuse crimes.
Officials have reported that the sentence combined the two life terms plus 45 years that a jury recommended in March after convicting Hellman on an array of sex abuse and pornography charges, and the maximum sentence for the second-degree murder and child abuse charges to which Hellman admitted his guilt last month.
The boy’s mother, Kayla Thomas, was convicted in June on multiple charges of sexually abusing the boy and producing child sexual abuse material. A jury recommended that she serve two life sentences plus 10 years. She is currently awaiting her sentencing hearing. The mother’s boyfriend initially denied having any involvement in Meek’s death, telling police that his own 2-year-old son and Meek were horsing around and jumping on the bed when Meek fell and hit his head. However, Hellman’s son later told his mother that Hellman had hit and kicked Meek.
The first responders said that the 2-year-old boy had noticeable bruising to both eyelids and an abrasion to his forehead, was not breathing and had no detectable heartbeat. Autopsy determined that the boy ‘had 22 separate blunt injuries, bruises, and scrapes on his head as well as an additional 13 injuries on the underside of his scalp and 10 injuries to his torso.’
