Case of Butler County babysitter convicted of killing 3-year-old featured on national TV show

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is from 2021.

The case of Lindsay Partin, a Butler County woman convicted in 2019 in the death of a 3-year-old girl she was babysitting, was featured on Wednesday night on an A&E true crime show.

The episode the series “Under Oath” covered Partin’s case and focused on her own testimony in the case. Hannah Wesche, whom Partin babysat, collapsed at Partin’s Shank Road residence on March 8, 2018 and later died.

Partin was tried over eight days in April 2019. The jury deliberated 12 hours before finding Partin guilty on charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter and four counts of child endangering. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 18 years.

The 12th District Court of Appeals upheld Partin’s conviction in September 2020. In November, Partin’s appellate attorney, Neal Schuett of Rittgers & Rittgers, appealed the appeals court’s decision to the Ohio Supreme Court, stating “This case raises a substantial question and is one of public or great general interest.” In March, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

During seven days of testimony, the jury heard Partin’s confession to slapping and hitting the toddler in the days leading up to March 8, 2018 then shaking her on that day. She also said the 3-year-old had a couple of falls that caused the bruising observed by the doctors, coroner and EMTs.

Doctors gave testimony about how long the child could have been walking, talking and acting normally after the fatal head injury. Doctors who treated and observed Hannah at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital said she would not have been able to function within seconds or minutes.

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