First report:
Franklin’s Anna Ritchie has admitted guilt in the scalding death of 4-year-old Austin Cooper.
Ritchie’s case was set for a conference with the court today, but she changed her plea to guilty. She was scheduled to go to trial Sept. 26 in Warren County Common Pleas Court on charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, two counts of child endangering and felonious assault for the death of her stepson.
In July, Judge Robert Peeler denied Ritchie’s motion to have statements made to police thrown out at trial. Her defense attorneys argued her constitutional rights were violated when she was questioned by police without having her Miranda Rights read.
In June hearing, Ritchie’s video taped interview with Franklin police was played in open court as part of the suppression hearing in which she made several incriminating statements to Detectives Steve Figliola and Jeff Stewart before and after she was read her Miranda Rights, which occurred nearly 30 minutes into the questioning by police.
Ritchie, 24, told Figliola she ran the water and put Austin in the bathtub then walked away to get towels and to check on something she was cooking. When she came back, she put her hand in the water and realized it was too hot.
“I realized there was dry skin in the water and I was like, ‘Oh my God, what have I done,’ ” Ritchie said.
Ritchie, a cashier at Kroger and a graduate of Springboro High School, told Figliola that children overwhelm her and she may have been rough with Austin that day and in the past.
“I am sorry. I will accept full punishment,” Ritchie said during questioning on March 16.
After 20 minutes of questioning, Ritchie was advised of her Miranda Rights but she continued to talk with detectives. During more pressing interrogation by Stewart, she admitted she ran the water hotter than usual as punishment.
“I was holding him down pretty hard trying to bathe him, I will admit that,” she said, adding she held the boy in the tub for about 25 minutes.
Ritchie said she was frustrated with Austin because he never wanted to take a bath and whined about it, so she ran the water extra hot.
“I will admit it was a form of punishment, but I didn’t think it was going to make his skin fall off,” she said.
Ritchie is being housed in the Warren County Jail on $1 million bond.
Robert Ritchie, 31, is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and felony child endangering for allegedly failing to obtain medical treatment for his son.
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