A Brewer man was sentenced Tuesday to serve roughly six years in prison for the death of his infant son.
Penobscot County Superior Justice Ann Murray sentenced Ronald Harding to 15 years in prison, 6½ years of which are suspended, and six years of probation. He also gets credit for the two years spent in jail waiting for sentencing. He risks serving the rest of his sentence if he violates the conditions of a six-year probation period.
Harding, 38, was found guilty of manslaughter during a trial in Penobscot Superior Court in March.
The state arrested Harding in June 2021 and charged him with manslaughter in the death of his 6-week-old son, Jaden. Harding called 911 on May 31 to report that his son was not breathing. The state Medical Examiner’s Office later determined Jaden died from inflicted injuries, police said.
“We were disappointed in the verdict in the case, but the jury made their decision and I thought the judge was very thoughtful in their sentencing analysis,” Harding’s defense attorney, William Ashe, said Tuesday afternoon.
Ashe said his client plans to appeal the verdict.
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