West Carrollton man convicted of killing 6-week-old girl sentenced to life in prison

DAYTON — A West Carrollton man was sentenced to life in prison following his conviction on murder charges in the death of a 6-week-old girl.

>>PREVIOUS REPORT: Jury finds West Carrollton babysitter guilty of killing infant

Charles Pulley, 20, was convicted in late may on charges of murder, felonious assault, involuntary manslaughter, and endangering children in the death of Averi Grabans in August 2020.

Pulley was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison but will not be eligible for parole until after he serves 18 years, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office said in a media release.

Pulley was babysitting Grabens, his girlfriend’s daughter, on August 19, 2020. The mother saw bruising on her daughter’s head after Pulley was watching her.

>> RELATED: Trial begins for babysitter accused of killing infant; Forensic pathologist takes the stand

The next day, Grabens’ mother left work to come home and take the infant to the hospital after receiving a text message from Pulley, according to court records. The text message contained a photo that made Grabans’ mother believe the infant needed to go to the hospital immediately.

Grabans was taken to Dayton Children’s Hospital where she died three days later.

An investigator from the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office testified in court during the trial, saying the 6-week-old girl suffered two bruises on her forehead, a contusion on the top of her head, a skull fracture and brain bleeding. The coroner’s office called her death a homicide due to multiple blunt force traumas and said she could not have inflicted them on herself.

A jury returned a guilty verdict on all six charges May 27.

The trial was initially delayed after it was first scheduled for trial in December 2021. A jury had been selected, but the trial was delayed after Pulley fired his attorney and told the court he planned to defend himself.

©2022 Cox Media Group