A man who killed a 21-month-old toddler has finally been sentenced by a court in Cedartown area of Georgia.
Dustin Drew Putnal and his 21-month-old victim Ella Grayce
A Georgia man Dustin Drew Putnal has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole after pleading guilty Thursday to molesting and killing his girlfriend’s toddler daughter two years ago.
The 29-year-old Putnal, beat and assaulted 21-month-old Ella Grayce Pointer in Cedartown, Georgia.
Polk County police said Putnal sexually assaulted the child, who also suffered severe head trauma, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
The toddler later died in a hospital on Oct. 30, 2016, the report said.
Reports say “JusticeforEllaGrayce” became a popular hashtag on social media as investigators “zeroed in” on Putnal who was charged one month after the girl’s death.
“We felt like this was an appropriate resolution; Mr Putnal was remorseful and was willing to accept his punishment,” Putnal’s attorney, Gerald Word, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper.
District Attorney Jack Browning said the resolution of Putnal’s case was with the approval and blessing of Ella Grayce’s family, adding that the case had been a “nightmare for the family”.
“Ella’s family has made clear that they approve of this sentence because it brings certain and definite closure, without the worry of appeal-after-appeal-after-appeal over the next unknown number of years,” Browning said in a news release.
“Now they can live their lives without the constant fear that Putnal’s conviction might be overturned for some reason and he be allowed to go free.”
The girl’s grandmother Dorothy Garner had previously reminisced to the station about Ella.
“Ella Grayce was so precious, such a beautiful child. She was always laughing and giggling and playing,” Garner said.
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