Man sentenced to life in prison for killing toddler in Sylvania Township

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A man found guilty of killing a toddler he was babysitting in Sylvania Township was sentenced on Wednesday.

Court records show Judge Linda Jennings sentenced Michael Kitto to life in prison without the possibility of parole on July 24 for the death of 3-year-old Declan Hill. A jury found him guilty on several felonies in the case last week. The jury convicted Kitto of Aggravated Murder, Murder, Felonious Assault, and Endangering Children.

Kitto was indicted in the case in October of 2022. Police say Kitto was the boyfriend of the child’s mother at the time of the incident.

Officials told 13 Action News that Kitto called 911 while babysitting at the family’s home on King Road. The audio recordings of the call show Kitto said the toddler ran his head first into a wall and was unconscious. Police tell 13abc it’s common to see the person who called 911 be eventually charged.

The coroner said Hill died from blunt force head and neck trauma, ruling his death a homicide.

“We are thankful for the jury’s service and that we were able to provide justice for Declan’s family,” Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates said. “There is never a need to mistreat anyone, let alone a young child. I hope his family finds some comfort at this time. May his memory remain cherished in their hearts forever.”

This wasn’t Kitto’s first run-in with police. He was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in 2014 for an armed robbery. He served about three years of that sentence.

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