Mahoney
SIDNEY — The man charged with the June 2023 death of his son has changed his plea in Shelby County Common Pleas Court.
On Jan. 11, 2024, 21-year-old Seth Mahoney entered a plea of guilty and was found guilty of murder in the June 2023 incident which resulted in the death of his three-year-old son.
“Over the course of two weeks, Mahoney systematically and brutally beat and tortured his own child, which led to the death of the child,” said Tim Sell, Shelby County prosecutor.
The original indictment on July 6, 2023, lists the charge of murder as a result of repetitive punching and beating of the victim about the head, face, and entire body, and torture and cruel abuse of the victim. A superseding indictment filed Sept. 7, 2023, adds additional charges to the original murder charges after toxicology results for the victim returned which indicated methamphetamine, amphetamine and marijuana were given to the three-year-old victim.
The plea agreement reached between the Prosecutor’s office and the Public Defender’s office results in an immediate sentence of 15 years to life for Mahoney, who will also be required to register as a violent offender.
“The details of this case have been heartbreaking for all involved, and we feel this is a just resolution for the tragic and senseless way in which this three-year-old victim’s life was ended by his father,” said Sell.
Statements from the child’s mother and maternal grandmother were read to the courtroom, with the mother saying she would give her life to have her son back and she cries each night for him.
The maternal grandmother wrote the statement for her grandson before she passed away, describing the victim as “a little three-year-old boy with lots of love, big hugs and kisses and dandelion bouquets that he used to pick for me” and said “his life mattered and still does. For his life to be taken from him should be repaid in kind. While I don’t wish to see your death (Seth) you should still have to pay your life for his.”
The June 17, 2023, incident occurred in the early morning hours at approximately 2:24 a.m., when emergency services responded to 1023 N. Main Ave., Sidney, in reference to a child reported to be not breathing, and upon arrival, law enforcement discovered the recently deceased three-year-old.
The child was pronounced deceased at Wilson Health Hospital, and then taken to Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy. The investigation of the incident and the autopsy revealed facts showing that the child’s death was a result of significant internal and external injuries.
