A mother has been sentenced to up to two decades in prison after she failed to stop her boyfriend from subjecting her six-year-old daughter to months of torture that ended in the child's death.
A Catalogue of Horrific Injuries
Ashley Fagan, 33, will serve between 18 and 23½ years after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including permitting child abuse, endangering children, involuntary manslaughter, and obstructing justice. The case centred on the death of her young daughter, Eva Bretz, in April 2025.
Police and paramedics rushed to the family home in Columbus on 13 April 2025 following a 911 call. They found six-year-old Eva in a critical condition and attempted life-saving measures. She was rushed to Nationwide Children's Hospital but was pronounced dead approximately six hours later.
A subsequent autopsy revealed the extent of the little girl's suffering. Eva had injuries consistent with chronic sexual assault, extensive bruising, and ligature marks around her neck. She also had a lacerated liver and healing fractures to her rib and pelvis. The Franklin County Coroner's office stated these injuries had been inflicted over a period of weeks, if not months. Traces of fentanyl were also found in her system.
Web of Lies Unravels
Initially, Fagan told Columbus police a fabricated story. She claimed Eva had been playing outside late on 12 April and that her hooded sweatshirt had become caught on a tree branch, restricting her breathing. Fagan insisted the girl had seemed fine afterwards.
This account quickly fell apart. CCTV footage from the housing complex showed no sign of Eva playing outside at the time. Confronted with this evidence, Fagan admitted she had lied to investigators.
Detectives then uncovered damning text messages exchanged between Fagan and her 24-year-old boyfriend, Blake Hutchinson. The messages, dating back to October 2024, showed the pair conspiring to align their stories regarding Eva's visible and severe injuries.
Courtroom Condemnation and Sentencing
During a plea hearing in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, Eva's grandfather, Kevin Coles, delivered a powerful victim impact statement. "The one person on this planet that should have had her best interest at heart did not take any steps to protect her," he said, highlighting the profound betrayal.
Fagan's attorney, Terry Sherman, conceded that while his client did not personally inflict the physical abuse, she had catastrophically failed in her fundamental duty to protect her child.
Judge Richard Brown, visibly emotional, sentenced Fagan as part of a plea agreement. As a father and grandfather, he said the case deeply affected him. He condemned Fagan's inaction as "completely unjustifiable" and "heinous", stating, "I cannot imagine taking a life or watching while someone else takes the life of a child, particularly your own child."
Blake Hutchinson, the boyfriend accused of carrying out the abuse, also faced charges in Eva's death. However, he died by suicide before he could be arrested.
Fagan's guilty plea on 12 December also related to injuries caused to another of her children in 2023.
