Cheyenne Man Gets 3-10 Years in Child Abuse Case
A 30-year-old Cheyenne man has been sentenced to three to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $249,000 in restitution for injuring his girlfriend's 9-month-old daughter in September of 2015.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about it," said a tearful Joshua Walter during his sentencing this (Friday) morning in Laramie County District Court.
Walter was charged with aggravated child abuse last March. He pleaded guilty to the charge in November as part of a plea deal.
Walter said he was alone in the bedroom with the baby when she suffered severe injuries, but he was under the influence of spice and couldn't remember what happened.
The girl suffered a brain injury, loss of vision, seizures and loss of muscle movement and motor skills.
"She'll feel the consequences of those actions for the rest of her life," said Assistant Laramie County District Attorney Ben Sherman. "Still to this day she's on a feeding tube."
Walter's attorney, Mark Hardee, said the incident has had "a tremendous effect" on Walter, adding that his client "is making changes in his life for the better."