A Middletown man was sentenced to 15 to 19 years in prison Tuesday for the kidnapping of his girlfriend's children and for helping dump the body of her youngest son, James Hutchinson, into the Ohio River.
The 6-year-old's body is still missing after seven months of searching.
James Hamilton, 42, pleaded guilty in August to gross abuse of a corpse, kidnapping and two counts of endangering children. The maximum sentence for the charges was 19 years in prison.
Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Noah Powers called Hamilton's crime "despicable."
Kathryn Lundy, a close family friend, came to court with James Hutchinson's father Tuesday. She spoke to the court on behalf of the family and asked for Hamilton to receive the maximum sentence.
"The unspeakable crime cannot be forgiven," Lundy said. "Do you, James Hamilton, know what you single-handedly took away from us?"
She said Gosney's surviving children have been given a "life sentence" due to the abuse they suffered at the hands of Hamilton. She said he alienated the family members of the children for months before helping to cover up a murder.
"The Ohio River is now a huge unmarked grave that no one can visit," Lundy said. "We hope that his name and his contagious smile haunt you for the rest of your life."
Prosecutors said Hamilton convinced his girlfriend, Brittany Gosney, to abandon her children. On Feb. 26, she took all three of her children to a Preble County park to leave them, according to court documents.
As she tried to speed away from them, James grabbed for the door handle, fell and fatally struck his head, police said.
Gosney and Hamilton later admitted they kept James' body in their home for about a day before driving to the Ohio River near Lawrenceburg and throwing him in the river, tying a brick to his body to keep it under the water, police said.
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