Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Raping and Abusing an 11-month-old Baby

A woman has been sentenced to life in prison after she was found guilty of raping and abusing an 11-month-old baby. The 11-month-old victim was the daughter of her boyfriend, whom she had raped and abused.

The accused is identified as a 38-year-old woman, Jamilee Hunt, of Hudson Falls, New York. Hunt was found guilty of raping and abusing an 11-month-old infant in her care while living at a Red Roof Inn in Springfield Township, Ohio, according to a press release issued by Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich on April 24.

The father of the victim and Hunt’s co-defendant was identified as Jason Santos, 38, of Hudson Falls, New York. Santos pleaded guilty last week to similar charges and was also sentenced to life in prison, according to the press release.

A Summit County jury found Hunt guilty of multiple felony charges, including one count of rape of a child under the age of 13, five counts of felonious assault, and one count of endangering children by torture or cruel abuse. She was also convicted of one count of endangering children by creating a substantial risk to the child’s health or safety, and one count of endangering children.

The charges stem from an incident in November last year in which Springfield Township police officers responded to a call at the Red Roof Inn for an unresponsive 11-month-old infant, according to the press release. Santos and Hunt, who identified themselves as “Nicole Abare” at the time, claimed that the baby suddenly stopped breathing.

While performing lifesaving measures on the child, officers observed “extensive bruising and other signs of physical abuse,” the prosecutor’s office said.

The female infant, who was deemed to be in ‘critical condition,’ was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital, where doctors and social workers found that she had “multiple rib fractures, fractures to her arms and legs, and significant bruising, injuries consistent with the explanation provided by Santos and Abare,” according to the press release.

“Many of the fractures were in various stages of healing, indicating prolonged abuse,” the prosecutor’s office said.

At the scene, Abare and Santos claimed to officers that the baby’s injuries were caused by their dog jumping on her, “an explanation that differed from their initial statements and was inconsistent with medical findings.”

Investigators, however, later determined that “Nichole Abare” was a false identity and identified the woman as Jamilee Hunt. Further medical evaluation of the infant revealed that she suffered a traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, resulting in hemorrhagic shock and a broken clavicle, according to the prosecutor’s office. The doctors also discovered evidence consistent with rap and sexual assault.

In a statement after Santo’s sentencing on April 21, Kolkovich said the father, “betrayed his daughter in the most heinous and cruel way imaginable.” However, Hunt is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6th.