Connecticut Man, Kyle Seitz, 37, Spared Jail Time After Causing Death Of 15-Month-Old Son By Leaving Him In Hot Car
A Connecticut man, Kyle Seitz, 37, is spared jail time after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of his 15-month-old son Benjamin by leaving him in a hot car in 2014.
According to Hartford Courant, on July 7, 2014 Kyle unknowingly left his son in his hot jeep while he went to work. He claims he thought he dropped him off at daycare, but when he drove to his son’s daycare after work, they informed him that Benjamin never arrived that morning.
When Kyle returned to his vehicle, he saw Benjamin motionless in the backseat of his jeep, dead.
Fifteen-month-old Benjamin had died from hyperthermia caused by environmental exposure.
Kyle Seitz, Ridgefield father who left son in hot car, sentenced to conditional discharge http://t.co/SICUtZs7Io pic.twitter.com/jqhVrP5n27
— FOX CT (@FoxCT) April 9, 2015
A four-month investigation took place after it was discovered that Kyle had returned to his vehicle twice that day, and claimed he didn’t notice his son in the backseat.
In August, investigators ruled the death a homicide and Kyle was arrested in November.
Kyle pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in March.
During his court sentencing at Danbury Superior Court on Thursday, Judge Kevin Russo said “I do believe Mr. Seitz has endured a sufficient level of suffering.”
“I cannot punish him more than this event has punished him. Nor would I choose to do so,” Russo continued. Because traditional theories of punishment are not warranted in this case.”
“Nobody should be in a position to judge you based on what has happened from that date ’til now.”
Not wanting Kyle to go to prison for the death of their son, Seitz’ wife and the mother of Benjamin, Lindsay Rogers-Seitz, wrote a statement to the judge, which was read in court by her attorney. It stated as follows.
“The pain of losing Ben is visceral. It never goes away. I want to sweep his blond curls out of his face again and kiss him, hold him, but I can’t. Losing him this way has taught me the greatest lesson of all that a mother and a wife can know and that’s the lesson of resiliency and hope and the power of the human spirit to reach within itself and find a greater good, even in its darkest hour. But only when focused on love, understanding and compassion can we do that.”
“It is my greatest respect, your honor, that I ask you this today for compassion and leniency in sentencing my husband and the father my children by asking that you release him to his family so that we can finally be at peace and that we can grieve and heal together as a family.”
The judge spared Kyle prison time for leaving his son in hot car and gave him a two-year conditional discharge instead.
[Image courtesy of Wandering Youkal/Flickr]
