Kinsley Kinner’s baby brother placed with biological father

A baby boy, the subject of a custody battle before he was born, has been placed in the custody of his biological father.

During a pretrial hearing Wednesday afternoon in Butler County Juvenile Court, Jason White told Magistrate John Bruewer that Butler County Children Services gave him custody of 6-week-old Wyatt Matthew Kinner last week.

White refused to comment after the hearing as he walked toward his car.

Since White wasn’t represented by counsel at the pretrial, a custody hearing was rescheduled for 3:15 p.m. May 6, according to court records. Bruewer encouraged White to delay his hearing until counsel was appointed or he had hired an attorney and since the Journal-News was present in the room. White agreed with Bruewer.

Throughout the short hearing, White looked forward and never to his right, where Rebekah Kinner, the mother of Wyatt Kinner, sat in her orange Butler County Jail jumpsuit.

She’s in jail awaiting trial for involuntary manslaughter for the beating death of her 2-year-old daughter, Kinsley. She is accused of allowing her boyfriend, Bradley Young, 26, to beat Kinsley to death at their Radabaugh Road home in Madison Twp. late last year.

The assault occurred between Nov. 28 and Dec. 2, according to prosecutors. Young and Kinner were arrested Dec. 2 after the life squad and sheriff’s deputies were called to their home and found Kinsley unresponsive and not breathing.

The trial date for Kinner is set for April 4, while Young will stand trial on April 25 in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Kinsley’s father, Scott Senft, thought he was Wyatt’s father, but DNA testing revealed he was not, according to Senft and his family.

Her attorney, Kyle Rapier, has said that White is a family friend of the Kinners and he has two children. Rapier said Rebekah Kinner was ending her relationship with Senft when she became pregnant. Wyatt was born Feb. 1 at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown.

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