Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For Raping 2-Year-Old

An Ohio man who raped a two-year-old girl, leaving her with chlamydia, and submerged her in scalding hot water has been sentenced to life in prison.

According to the Morning Journal, Devante M. Gibbs, 24, maintained his innocence before he was sentenced to life in prison without parole on March 9.

Gibbs of Lorain, Ohio, was found guilty of two counts of kidnapping, two counts of child endangering, one count of rape and one count of felonious assault in connection with a September 2013 case in which he sexually assaulted a 2-year-old girl and submerged her in hot water.

Gibbs fled the state while jurors deliberated his verdict. More than a week later, U.S. marshals found him in Long Beach, California, at a family member’s home. The convicted rapist was extradited back to Ohio on March 3.

Lorain County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Malanowski read a statement from the victim’s mother, who lives out of state, prior to pronouncing Gibbs’ sentence.

“Throughout the process (Gibbs), has continued to demonstrate his demeanor as a disgusting human being and shows no remorse for what he has done to her,” the statement read.

The mother’s written statement continued to describe how the incident has affected her daughter. She said that the girl will hide, scream, and fight in order to avoid bathing and that she is self-conscious of the scars she was left with from the scalding water and the surgery she had following the incident.

“I can only imagine how that will manifest as she grows older as she begins to question the origins of her injuries,” Malanowski read. “It is my worst nightmare as her mother to look her in the eyes when she is older and explain to her how someone can be so sinister and violate her sweet innocence at the age of 2.”

Gibbs cried in court as he gave his testimony and raised his voice as he argued with Malanowski.

“Sir, is there some reason you’re having trouble answering my questions?” Malanowski asked Gibbs, according to The Chronicle.

“My trouble answering them is because I know your job,” Gibbs replied. “I know your job. Your job is to make me look bad. Your job is to make me look like I’m the bad person. Your job is to make me look like a molestor, a rapist, which I am now, which I am not. I am not.”

Gibbs confirmed during the trial that he was the only person besides the girl’s mother to spend time alone with the victim on September 18, 2013, the Chronicle reports.

He claims that he drew himself a bath while the victim’s mother was at school, so that he could “soak and smoke,” but that the water was too hot. He says that he went outside to have a cigarette and that when he returned, he heard the two-year-old in the tub. 

Gibbs says that he got the girl out of the tub and tried thrusting into her chest to get her to cough up some water and that he thought she was fine afterwards because she appeared normal and asked him for a hot dog.

However, the girl’s mother said that she had to get ointment and pain medication for her daughter later that night and that, the following day, she became even more ill. Gibbs called a nursing hotline while the mother was at work that day to see what he should do. Then, Gibbs said that he finally told the mother what had happened.

“I made the greatest mistake of my entire life that ruined everything and didn’t tell the mom right away,” Gibbs said in court.

Malanowski said, however, that he made an even bigger mistake.

“in fact, the greatest mistake of your life was raping this child (and) trying to get rid go the evidence in a hot tub of water,” she said.

Gibbs took responsibility for the girl getting into the tub of hot water, but said that he didn’t actually put her in the water. He also said that he acknowledges that the girl was raped, but that he was not responsible.

“Somebody raped that little girl, OK? Somebody raped her, and I know I may be on trial for it and I know I may risk it all saying it, but somebody did it,” Gibbs said. “Somebody did it, and I mean I may risk it all saying this, but if I knew who did it, he probably wouldn’t have made it here to this day, OK? As any rapist deserves. He would have got what he deserved.”

The girl was left with chlamydia following the rape, but Gibbs says that he does not have chlamydia.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Josh Croston said that throughout the investigation, Gibbs’ version of the story remained consistent, adding however, “He didn’t say, ‘I didn’t rape her,’ He said he wouldn’t hurt her.”

Sources: Morning Journal, The Chronicle / Photo Credit: Eric Bonzar/Morning Journal