An Ohio man was sentenced to at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to suffocating his baby. Marcellaus Nekie Malone was sentenced on Friday, July 17, after he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
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Malone Pleaded Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter
Malone pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter after he allegedly suffocated his baby daughter in December of last year in Batavia, Ohio.
The 30-year-old also pleaded guilty to child endangerment through corporal punishment or physical restraint, according to WKRC. Malone and the baby’s mother called 911 on Dec. 11, 2025, to say the 4-month-old wasn’t breathing.
The baby was pronounced dead at a local hospital, and an investigation uncovered that Malone allegedly punched his baby in the face at least once. Furthermore, a neighbor reported hearing Malone threatening to fling the baby into a wall, per Local12.
Clermont County Common Pleas Judge Jason E. Nagel sentenced him to seven to 13.5 years for involuntary manslaughter. In addition, Malone was also sentenced to three years for the child endangerment offense, and the sentences will be served consecutively, per US Weekly.
Original Charges Included Felony Murder For The Ohio Man
Originally, Malone was indicted for felony murder and involuntary manslaughter. Additionally, he was charged with domestic violence and seven endangering children charges. However, the extra charges were dropped when he pleaded guilty.
According to the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office, Malone said his daughter was “going to be a dead baby” on video.
“On December 11, 2025, the Milford Police Department was called out to the apartment occupied by Malone for an unresponsive four-month-old,” wrote Prosecutor Mark J. Tekulve in a press release. “First responders rushed the infant to the hospital, but the child could not be revived. An investigation into Malone revealed a pattern of abuse going back at least two months.
Malone Punished Baby For Crying By Swaddling
The prosecutor also claimed that Malone swaddled the baby for punishment when she cried. He also wrapped her head, which caused her to pass out.
“It was further revealed that as a punishment for crying, Malone would tightly swaddle the infant, including her head, to the point she could not breathe and would pass out,” he wrote. “He told her that if she wanted to stop getting swaddled like that, she would have to stop crying. Not only would Malone cut off the baby’s breathing as a result of her fussing, but on at least one occasion, he punched the infant in the face for crying, causing a significant bruise.”
The autopsy found the baby died from a “history of occlusion of the nose and mouth by swaddling of the body and head.”
