Ohio man who raped, killed 3-year-old faces death

COLUMBUS (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a Cincinnati man who raped and killed the 3-year-old son of his live-in girlfriend.

Lamont Hunter had pleaded not guilty to killing Trustin Blue in 2006 but a three-judge Hamilton County panel convicted the 43-year-old Hunter and sentenced him to death in 2007.

The high court’s decision today said the boy was raped with a sharp object and died from blunt impact and shaking injuries to his head.

The ruling also noted that the boy had been previously treated at a hospital for injuries and that he had expressed fear of Hunter.

The court rejected arguments by Hunter that his lawyers didn’t defend him properly, including an argument that they didn’t present proper expert witnesses on his behalf.