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Stepmom Pleads Not Guilty To Murder In Scalded Boy's Death

Defense attorneys have entered a not-guilty plea for an Ohio murder suspect accused of putting her 4-year-old stepson in scalding water as punishment the day before he was found dead.
 
The charges against 24-year-old Franklin resident Anna Ritchie also include involuntary manslaughter.
 
Judge Robert Peeler granted a prosecutor's request to increase Ritchie's bond Wednesday from $350,000 to $1 million. Ritchie could post 10 percent.
 
Prosecutors say Ritchie put Austin Cooper into water estimated at 130 degrees for at least 20 minutes to "teach him a lesson" in March. Prosecutors say the boy was bleeding and had skin coming off his legs.

Authorities concluded he died of shock from blood and fluid loss resulting from his burns.

Ritchie's trial is scheduled for late September.
 

Jerry began volunteering at WYSO in 1991 and hosting Sunday night's Alpha Rhythms in 1992. He joined the YSO staff in 2007 as Morning Edition Host, then All Things Considered. He's hosted Sunday morning's WYSO Weekend since 2008 and produced several radio dramas and specials . In 2009 Jerry received the Best Feature award from Public Radio News Directors Inc., and was named the 2023 winner of the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Best Anchor/News Host award. His current, heart-felt projects include the occasional series Bulletin Board Diaries, which focuses on local, old-school advertisers and small business owners. He has also returned as the co-host Alpha Rhythms.