The then-24-year-old defendant, Devante, reportedly kidnapped and indecently assaulted 2-year-old girl. The man then tossed the child\u00a0in a tub full of scalding hot water to try to destroy the evidence of his se-ual assault. Per reports, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, but not before the \u201cgift\u201d that he left with his victim was revealed in court. Prosecutors said that the 24-year-old defendant\u00a0was found guilty of two counts of kidnapping, two counts of child endangering, and single counts of r-pe and felonious assault for the heinous crime committed against an innocent 2-year-old little girl.<\/span><\/p>\n

Devante\u00a0did not hear this verdict in person because he fled the state. He was taken into custody more than a week later by U.S. marshals at a family member\u2019s home. At his sentencing hearing, Devante maintained his innocence in a 15-minute statement to the court, saying he had even hired a private investigator to catch whoever had really r-ped the little girl while he was on the run. \u201cI thought the truth, the facts, and justice would prevail,\u201d he said. \u201cI risked life because I knew if the facts got brought up, you could see that I didn\u2019t r-pe her.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n