Granite City man sentenced to 24 years in prison for battering 7-week-old infant in his care

EDWARDSVILLE — A Granite City man was sentenced today to 24 years in prison for battering a 7-week old infant in his care.

Kamryn Kerr (d.o.b. 8/6/94) was convicted by a Madison County jury in January following less than two hours of deliberation. Kerr, who was listed as the baby’s father at the time of his trial, was originally charged by the Madison County State's Attorney's Office on September 10, 2014 along with the child’s mother, Ashlee Wethington (d.o.b. 12/12/95), after the Granite City Police Department responded to the Emergency Room at Gateway Regional Medical Center in response to multiple rib fractures on a male infant.

Kerr was facing 6-30 years on each of the three counts of Aggravated Battery to a Child, a Class X felony. Circuit Judge Kyle Napp sentenced Kerr this morning to 8 years on each count for a total of 24 years in prison. The terms are consecutive and he will be required to serve 85% of the sentence.

State's Attorney Tom Gibbons recognized the work of his Assistant State's Attorneys, Kathleen Nolan, head of the Children’s Justice Division and Crystal Uhe, Chief of the Criminal Division, for their successful prosecution of Kerr. “My prosecutors, along with the Granite City Police Department and all of the medical personnel, including those at Gateway Regional Medical Center and Cardinal Glennon, are to be commended for working together to ensure the conviction of the defendant,” Gibbons stated. “This was a victory not only for that little boy who had experienced only pain and suffering at the start of his young life, but it’s also a victory in our fight to protect the children of Madison County.”

The child remains in foster care, while Wethington’s case remains pending. The charges against her, as well as the statements made herein, are based upon probable cause. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.