Opinion ID: 4510807
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: procedural history and sentencing

Text: {¶ 20} A grand jury indicted Bates on one count of aggravated murder of a child under the age of 13 (R.C. 2903.01(C)), one count of child endangering (R.C. 2919.22(B)(1)), and one count of noncapital felony murder (R.C. 2903.02(B)) based on child endangering. The aggravated-murder count included one specification under R.C. 2929.04(A)(9), which alleged that in committing the murder of a child under the age of 13, Bates either was the principal offender or committed the aggravated murder with prior calculation and design. {¶ 21} Bates pleaded not guilty to all counts and the capital specification, and the case was tried to a jury. The jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts and the specification. {¶ 22} After a mitigation hearing, the jury unanimously recommended a sentence of death, and the court accepted the recommendation and imposed the death sentence. The court also sentenced Bates to eight years of imprisonment for his child-endangering conviction and to a prison term of 15 years to life for the felony-murder conviction. The court ordered Bates to serve the noncapital sentences consecutively to each other but concurrently with the death sentence.