A Greeley man has been sentenced to life in prison for abusing and killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son.
John Melvin White, 34, was last month, after an 11-day trial, of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death, according to the Weld County District Attorney’s Office.
White was convicted for the May 2015 death of 2-year-old Michael “Mikey” Lara.
District Court Judge Julie Hoskins sentenced White Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the DA’s office said.
White was dating Mikey’s mother at the time, babysitting the boy while his mom was at work. He claimed the family’s dog knocked the boy down the mobile home’s porch steps, leading to injuries.
Medical exams revealed severe trauma, which couldn’t be associated with a fall, prosecutors said. Toxicology reports showed White was on methamphetamine while babysitting Mikey.
“I would like to tell you about the day I taught Mikey to drive…or the day he graduated…or the day he made me a grandparent,” said Michael Lara Sr., Mikey’s father, at the sentencing. “But you took all of those moments away from me, John. You took him away from our family…You will now sit in your cell with only your nightmares.”
