CINCINNATI (TCN) — A 53-year-old man will serve at least seven years in prison for giving his young diabetic daughter a diet of Mountain Dew, which played a role in her death.
WXIX-TV reports a judge sentenced Christopher Hoeb to 7.5 to 10.5 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty in April to the involuntary manslaughter of his 4-year-old daughter. As a result, prosecutors dropped charges of murder and two counts of endangering children against him.
The child’s mother, Tamara Banks, also pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced in May to nine to 13.5 years in prison. Banks faced the same charges as Hoeb.
The girl was reportedly found unresponsive in Banks and Hoeb’s home on Jan. 21, 2022. She was transported to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where doctors determined she was brain dead. She died two days later after being taken off life support.
According to WKRC-TV, following their indictment, Assistant Clermont County Prosecutor Clay Tharp said the victim, identified as Karmity Hoeb, was addicted to methadone when she was born. After being weaned off, she reportedly did not see another doctor.
Tharp said the girl’s “overall care was so poor that it resulted in her death.”
According to Tharp, Karmity suffered from “baby bottle caries,” which is tooth decay due to drinking a sugar-heavy liquid. He said, “Well, it turns out this 4-year-old was drinking Mountain Dew out of a bottle every day. So much so, that it rotted all of her teeth out.”
WKRC reports Karmity’s cause of death was listed as diabetic ketoacidosis.
According to WXIX, Hoeb apologized at his sentencing hearing, saying, “A lot of carelessness and laziness is what caused this. It should never have happened. I am very remorseful for this.”
You can watch more about Banks’ sentencing in the True Crime News The Sidebar Podcast above.