Brittany Gosney, and James Robert Hutchinson
After waffling on whether to pursue an insanity defense, an Ohio woman has pleaded guilty to killing her 6-year-old son who she allegedly tried to abandon.
Brittany Gosney, 29, on Monday accepted a plea for murder and two counts of endangering children, according to online records from Butler County, Ohio. That just leaves her co-defendant boyfriend James Hamilton, 42, with the remaining case for allegedly helping dump young James Robert Hutchinson’s body into the Ohio River.
Sentencing is set for Monday, Sept. 13.
Gosney will be sentenced for the murder of 6-year-old James Hutchinson on September 13th. In addition to the murder charge, she will be sentenced for two counts of child endangering. You can see a tear roll down her face here as the judge explains her rights. pic.twitter.com/ynPFgOKrfe
— Ken Brown (@Fox19KenBrown) August 16, 2021
Authorities previously claimed Gosney admitted to a horrifying sequence of events. She was going to abandon Hutchinson, and his 7- and 9-year-old siblings at the Rush Run Wildlife Area in Preble County on Feb. 27 at Hamilton’s behest, according to this version of events. Young James grabbed onto the door of Hamilton’s 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. Instead of stopping, however, Gosney tried to drive away.
“Brittany slammed the gas trying to leave the kids and drug Hutchinson possibly running him over,” said Preble County documents. “Brittany turned the vehicle around to check on Hutchinson and he was dead.”
She took the 7- and 9-year-old children back home with Hutchinson’s body, according to this version of events. Gosney and Hamilton tossed the dead 6-year-old boy off a bridge into the Ohio River near Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
The whereabouts of Hutchinson’s body remains unknown, however. According to authorities, Gosney and Hamilton reported the boy missing even though she had just discarded his body. The couple, however, ended up confessing, police said.
Gosney initially sought an insanity defense, but she walked it back after the court determined she was competent to stand trial.
Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said in a press conference after Monday’s hearing that the two child endangering charges were for Gosney hogtying Hutchinson’s older siblings. Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Heile said that Gosney’s guilty plea spares these surviving children the pain of going through a trial.
Two of the child endangering charges were for hog tying the older siblings with rags stuffed in their mouths for a long period of time, Gmoser says @journalnews
— Lauren Pack (@LPackJN) August 16, 2021
Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Heile now speaking. “We have to living children that have lived through trauma that no other children should have to experience.” This plea means no further trauma of a trial. @journalnews
— Lauren Pack (@LPackJN) August 16, 2021
Hamilton is scheduled for a hearing to take place next Monday, Aug. 23.
[Images via WKRC screengrab, Middletown Division of Police]
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