Inset: Joshua Mulvey appearing in Lucas County Common Pleas Court on Aug. 20 (WTOL). Background: The home where Mulvey's girlfriend's 7-year-old starved to death (Google Maps).
A 30-year-old man in Ohio will go to prison for his role in killing his girlfriend's 7-year-old son after the ailing child starved to death, weighing just 19 pounds when authorities discovered his lifeless body in a playpen.
A Lucas County jury on Friday convicted Joshua Mulvey on one count of first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter and third-degree felony endangering children in connection with the June 2023 death of Kristopher Snyder, court records show.
The child's mother, 30-year-old Samantha Hardiman, was sentenced earlier this year to 15 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder. In exchange for her plea, charges of manslaughter and child endangerment were dismissed.
As Law&Crime previously reported, officers with the Toledo Police Department responded to a home in the 1700 block of Freeman Street at around 7:30 p.m. on June 2, 2023, regarding a report of a deceased child. When they arrived, first responders discovered Kristopher Snyder, a victim of severe neglect who suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, already "deceased and alone in a playpen," prosecutors said.
Authorities said the child appeared "completely emaciated."
An autopsy conducted by the Lucas County Coroner's Office determined that the manner of death was homicide, while the cause of death was severe malnutrition and dehydration. Investigators soon learned that a doctor had not seen the victim in person for about four years, as his mother only used telehealth appointments and had her home's windows painted black to conceal the child's deteriorating condition from the outside world.
During a previous bond hearing, Lucas County Chief Criminal Prosecutor Jennifer Liptack-Wilson told Common Pleas Judge Joe McNamara that the victim was found "completely emaciated" and weighed significantly less than an average healthy 1-year-old boy, the Toledo Blade reported.
The state argued that because Mulvey had lived with the child and his mother for roughly two years, he violated a basic legal duty to ensure the child's foundational nutritional needs were met.
Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates previously told the court that Kristopher's mother had continuous access to free therapeutic resources to help her son develop the muscles required to eat but instead chose to isolate and neglect him. Authorities also repeatedly emphasized that they recovered "ample food" inside the home after Kristopher's death.
Mulvey had previously maintained his innocence, protesting his incarceration during his initial arraignment.
"I do not think I should be here in the first place, but that's for another day," Mulvey told the court at the time. "I will be a part of this process. I need answers myself."
Mulvey will remain in custody at the Lucas County Correctional Center while awaiting his formal sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for May 27.
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