An Ohio man who previously pleaded not guilty due to insanity after fatally slamming a 1-year-old’s head on the floor has changed his plea.
Michael Mayor, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of murder on Thursday, months after he was last seen with the 1-year-old girl. The child had been placed in the care of a babysitter who is also the mayor’s wife. As Law&Crime previously reported, Mayor was left with the girl on December 5, 2024, while his wife drove the other children in her care to school.
When his wife returned, she assumed the little girl was sleeping, but when she didn’t wake up from her nap, the babysitter dialed 911. Mayor later admitted that he “‘slam[med]’ her on the floor of the bedroom” because she would not stop crying.
According to a police report from the time, the girl was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a skull fracture in the back of her head, a subdural hematoma, and other “complex injuries.” The doctor who treated the girl stated that the injuries were caused by a “massive impact.”
According to police, Mayor admitted that “he’shook’ [the baby], and when she cried louder, he began to’slam’ her on the bedroom floor. He claimed this was not done on the blankets, and he repeated it several times until she stopped crying.” According to the police report, he then explained that he thought the girl had fallen asleep and left her alone.
Mayor was arrested on December 11 on one count of felonious assault and three counts of endangering children and is being held on a $1 million bond. Following the girl’s death on December 20, he was charged with three counts of murder. On February 5, Mayor pleaded not guilty due to insanity, and on March 11, he was found competent to stand trial.
A trial was set for earlier in June, but on June 26, Mayor pleaded guilty to one count of murder. The plea agreement included a dismissal of all other charges.
The mayor is scheduled to be sentenced on August 5.
