2 sentenced in cases related to child's death
“Our family will never be the same.”
Tyler Miller, the father of 4-year-old Bentley Thomas Miller, spoke about the loss of his son during the sentencing Thursday for Bentley's mother, Mackenzie P. Peters, 22, and Kristen L. Herold, 44, the mother of Keith Jordan Lambing, the man accused of killing the boy.
Miller said he “will never forgive” Peters for the boy's death. Police say Bentley died as a result of injuries suffered in a sexual assault last year.
“My boy was taken from me so brutally and viciously,” he said. “You killed my son, Bentley. You let your boyfriend hurt my son. I hope some day you will realize what you did wrong and how many people you hurt.”
Butler County President Judge Thomas Doerr sentenced Peters to 3 years of probation on two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of children.
Herold was sentenced to 1½ to 5 years in state prison on felony hindering apprehension and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of children.
Both also were ordered to pay court costs, and Peters was ordered to pay $1,000 in fines and complete a drug and alcohol evaluation and any recommended treatment.
Herold was given 408 days time served credit, as she has remained incarcerated since her arrest.
Peters was arrested and charged days after the Butler Township Police Department filed first-degree homicide and sexual assault charges against her then-boyfriend, Lambing, 21, of Butler, in connection with the death of Bentley on March 21, 2017.
Police allege Lambing sexually assaulted the boy at the Super 8 motel on Pittsburgh Road, leaving him with injuries that resulted in his death.
Peters was released on $25,000 unsecured bail and pleaded guilty March 6 to allegations that deal with an injury — a severe burn to his hand — Bentley suffered while in Lambing's care several days before his death. Police said Peters knew of the injury and failed to seek medical treatment for her son.
The second count applies to an 18-month-old child who police say was in the motel room and in the presence of drug paraphernalia.
Peters was initially charged with felony counts of the same charge, which were reduced to misdemeanors as part of the plea.
Investigators said Peters and Lambing had been staying at the motel for four to six days before Bentley's death. Lambing is alleged to have assaulted Bentley in the room after Peters left for work on the morning of March 21.
Sabrina Velez, Bentley's paternal grandma, also spoke during the proceeding, telling Peters that the family trusted her to “be a responsible person and take care of Bentley.”
“My heart aches every day to know the way he was tortured,” she said. “You, Mackenzie, get to live your life, whether in prison or not. Bentley does not.”
Velez said Miller was denied access to Bentley for two weeks before the boy's death. She said Bentley called his father, saying, “Daddy I'm tired, I just want to come home,” on the day he died.
“Three hours later we got the call from the hospital that he didn't survive his injuries,” she said. “My baby lost his baby; his baby was murdered. No parent should have to go through this ever.”
Herold, Lambing's mother, pleaded guilty April 11 to hiding her son while police searched for him and endangering Bentley when she did not immediate seek medical treatment for his injuries after picking him up from Lambing's care on the day of his death.
She also was initially charged with a second count of felony hindering apprehension and misdemeanor recklessly endangering another person, which were dismissed as part of the plea.
Police said Herold picked up Bentley, who had visible bleeding, from Lambing at the motel and intended to take the boy to his father's house in the city when Bentley became unresponsive during the trip.Herold pulled over at a shopping plaza in the city and called 911. Emergency personnel responded, and Bentley was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead. Authorities later said the boy died from blood loss due to injuries he suffered during the assault.Police said Herold then gave investigators incorrect information about where Bentley had been staying when she picked him up, and later hid Lambing from authorities while he was wanted for questioning in the case.A day later, Butler police found Herold and Lambing hiding in a home on Walker Avenue.Velez also spoke during Herold's proceeding, saying Herold should have identified Bentley's injuries and taken him to the hospital.“He (Bentley) was left in the care of your son (Lambing), to torture, abuse and eventually murder,” she said. “Our family will never be the same because of the inhumane acts of that day. I will never forgive you for what you have done to us.”Neither Herold nor Peters made a statement during the proceeding, although Peters quietly sobbed as Tyler Miller spoke.Her attorney, Joseph Kecskemethy, said in court that Peters “expresses her sorrow and she feels deeply for the circumstances surrounding Bentley's death.”He said that Peters accepted the “appropriate plea at the appropriate time.”“She has always directly addressed and acknowledged the mistakes she made since the allegations came up in this case,” Kecskemethy previously told the Eagle. “From the beginning she admitted those to the police and cooperated with law enforcement. Every day since then she has been treating appropriately for addiction and her emotional issues and working hard to make sure she doesn't get into situations like this again.”Peters is being held in Butler County Prison after bail was denied on charges of felony attempted homicide conspiracy to commit homicide, aggravated assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as well as several misdemeanors.She was charged alongside Raheem Robinson, 26, of Pittsburgh, following an alleged drive-by shooting on the 300 block of North Sixth Avenue April 5. Both await further court proceedings in that case.Attorneys Kecskemethy and Al Lindsay, Herold's attorney, could not be reached for comment following the proceedings.Assistant District Attorney Terri Schultz, who prosecuted both Peters' and Herold's cases, as well as the pending case against Lambing, said “I am glad this brings some form of closure to the family, especially the grandmother and father.”Lambing continues to be held in Butler County Prison after bail was denied pending further court proceedings. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in his case.
