Man pleads guilty to beating stepson to death

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

An Ohio man has pleaded guilty to beating his 4-year-old stepson to death.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that John Reeves was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after he whipped Lawrence King III with a leather belt and killed him at the family’s Columbus home in March.

Reeves said he was trying to correct his stepson. An investigation found that Reeves beat the boy because he was acting up and wouldn’t stand in the corner.

The 29-year-old Reeves apologized in court in Columbus and said that he loved the boy “more than anybody will know.”

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Julie Lynch replied, “Trust me when I tell you, no one needs that kind of love.”

Police say the boy’s mother, 24-year-old Nikki Reeves, turned up the radio to drown out the sound of a beating. She’s awaiting trial on child endangering and murder charges.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.