Inset, left to right: Caroline Ruth Boggs and Jesse A. Sartin (Dearborn County Prosecutor’s Office). Background: The area in Indiana where Sartin killed Caroline (Google Maps).
A 25-year-old man in Indiana will spend more than three decades behind bars for killing his girlfriend’s 21-month-old daughter, shaking the toddler so violently that doctors said it herniated her brain, causing it to leak “through her ears.”
Seventh Judicial Circuit Judge F. Aaron Negangard on Friday ordered Jesse Allen Sartin to serve 35 years in a state correctional facility followed by five years of probation over the slaying of Caroline Ruth Boggs, authorities announced.
The judge handed down the sentence after Sartin pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated battery resulting in death.
In a news release, prosecutors said Sartin was caring for Caroline on July 24, 2024, when he “violently shook the child for approximately 20 seconds,” causing severe and ultimately fatal brain injuries.
Caroline was first taken to St. Elizabeth Dearborn before being airlifted to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery and was placed on life support. Despite extensive medical efforts, she died on Aug. 1. Her cause of death was ruled abusive head trauma consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
At sentencing, Negangard cited multiple aggravating factors, including the child’s “extreme vulnerability,” Sartin’s position of trust as her caregiver, and the “violent nature and duration of the assault.” The court also noted Sartin’s prior criminal history, that he was on probation at the time, and that he initially provided false information to investigators before admitting what he had done.
“This case represents a devastating and preventable loss of life,” Dearborn-Ohio Counties Prosecutor Lynn Deddens said in a statement. “Caroline was a healthy, loved child who depended on adults to protect her. Instead, she suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of someone entrusted with her care while her mother was at work.”
Victim impact statements described Caroline as a “joyful, curious child” whose death has left lasting trauma on her family.
Following his release, Sartin will be barred from having contact with minor children during his probation.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Sartin initially claimed the toddler’s injuries were accidental, telling medical staff she had been standing on an ottoman when a dog knocked her over, causing her to fall.
Doctors quickly determined the injuries were inconsistent with that account.
Due to the severity of her condition, the child was transferred to a children’s hospital, where surgeons attempted to relieve pressure from extreme brain swelling. Medical professionals later said the swelling was so severe that her brain herniated and was “leaking through her ears.”
Investigators ultimately determined the child had been in Sartin’s sole care at the time of the incident while her mother was at work.
In an interview with police, Sartin admitted he became frustrated while bathing the toddler, claiming she was “being aggressive and flailing her arms” because she did not want to get out of the tub. He then confessed to shaking her for about 20 seconds.
Authorities also recovered a letter Sartin allegedly wrote to his girlfriend after the incident, in which he described the moments leading up to the assault.
“Once the bubbles were gone, I drained the water and put her toys away. I tried to pull her out but she didn’t want to get out. Screaming and swinging her arms,” the letter states. “I tried to pull her out but she kept pulling away and I was getting upset. Baby, I’m so upset. I shook her trying to get her to calm down.”
An autopsy later determined the toddler’s death was a homicide caused by abusive head trauma, including swelling to the brain and significant hemorrhaging consistent with violent shaking.
The case drew scrutiny due to the severity of the child’s injuries and the initial attempt to portray them as accidental — a claim investigators said Sartin later abandoned when confronted with medical evidence.
