NC Man Who Killed Girlfriend's Child With Chloroform To Get High Avoids Death Penalty

A North Carolina man has been sentenced to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to murdering the toddler daughter of his then-girlfriend in 2017.

Adolphus Earl Kimrey II, 37, pleaded guilty Monday to one count each of first-degree murder and felony intentional child abuse in connection to the death of 3-year-old Mariah Woods, Law & Crime reported, citing authorities.

Kimrey reported the child missing in late November 2017 after he put her to sleep, according to the Onslow County Sheriff's Office.

Kimrey told police that after sending Mariah back to bed, he briefly left the home he shared with his girlfriend at the time, Kristy Woods, and her children, leaving the door unlocked.

Kimrey was charged with multiple offenses, including obstruction of justice and concealing an unattended death, after the girl's body was found at the Holly Shelter Creek bridge in Pander County on Dec. 2, 2017.

An autopsy conducted by the East Carolina University medical lab determined that Mariah's cause of death was "chloroform toxicity," and authorities added first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury or death charges against him.

Kimrey reportedly admitted to two fellow inmates that he used chloroform on Mariah to put her to sleep so he could get high on methamphetamine, Onslow County District Attorney Ernie Lee revealed Monday.

"[I]t was not my intention for this to happen," Kimrey was quoted as saying by NewsChannel 12.

A judge in Onslow County has ordered Kimrey to serve a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

As part of his plea deal, Kimrey avoided the death penalty, which was what North Carolina intended to pursue had the case gone to trial.

The deal was the best outcome for Mariah's family and the state under the circumstances, according to Lee.

The death penalty can only be sought in North Carolina if a case has one of 11 aggravated circumstances, but the D.A. was unable to find any cases that involved chloroform as one of these circumstances, he explained.

"I was going to argue it because of it being a 3-year-old child. But I decided, after reviewing all the evidence, and certainly once I had gotten some inmate statements, I knew he was going to move forth with a defense of accident. I had to take that into consideration," Lee said, according to a report by The Daily News.

North Carolina has not seen any executions since 2006, while Onslow County has had none since 1939, according to the D.A.

Kristy, now Kristy Chavez, addressed the court after Kimrey made his plea.

"I stand before you a broken, destroyed person. My family and I will never be the same. Something will always be missing and that is my baby girl. We have been tortured, harassed and beaten. We have not been able to grieve," she said.

Kimrey's trial was moved multiple times prior to his acceptance of the plea deal. There were multiple reasons for the delays. The 42 ongoing murder cases were the No. 1 reason, and COVID-19 was another, according to Lee.