Ohio man gets 15 years to life for killing crying 1-year-old

Ohio man gets 15 years to life for killing crying 1-year-old

by
August 8, 2025
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Columbus, OH – An Ohio man who admitted to killing a 1-year-old girl after she would not stop crying has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Michael Mayor, 34, was sentenced Tuesday, just over a month after changing his plea from not guilty by reason of insanity to guilty. He confessed to slamming the head of 1-year-old Vivian Gardner on the floor several times in December 2024 while he was caring for her.

Police said Mayor’s wife, a professional babysitter, had been watching Vivian but left to take other children to school, leaving Mayor alone with the child. In a statement to investigators, Mayor admitted that he first shook the girl, and when she cried louder, he slammed her on the floor repeatedly until she stopped crying.

Mayor will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

Key Points

  • Michael Mayor, 34, pleaded guilty to murdering 1-year-old Vivian Gardner in December 2024
  • Admitted to shaking and slamming the child on the floor until she stopped crying
  • Sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, eligible for parole after minimum term
Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton

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