A Passaic NJ man was sentenced to 37 years in state prison for killing and sexually assaulting a 21-month-old girl.
In June, 25-year-old Akel A. Ackie pleaded guilty toaggravated manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to authorities, Mr. Ackie had been babysitting the girl at a Passaic home in 2010 when he sexually assaulted her. After the child went into cardiac arrest, Mr. Ackie called 911. Unfortunately, by the time emergency services got to the home, the child was already unresponsive. Later, at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, doctors diagnosed the girl with significant brain injuries. The girl remained in critical condition before dying three (3) days later.
An evaluation at the hospital confirmed that the girl had been sexually assaulted.
When prosecutors offered Mr. Ackie a plea deal, he initially rejected it. However, Mr. Ackie later reconsidered and accepted the plea agreement.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Mr. Ackie was sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison for the aggravated manslaughter charge and an additional seven (7) years for the child endangerment charge. Mr. Ackie will be required to serve at least 29 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Since being arrested, Mr. Ackie had been held in the Passaic County Jail on $1.5 million bail.
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Passaic Man Who Killed, Sexually Assaulted 21-Month-Old Girl Sentenced to 37 Years.”
