03 July 2019 :

Hamilton County Judge Lisa Allen reduced the sentence of Genesis Hill to 30 years to life after his conviction was overturned based on new evidence suggesting his infant daughter's death was accidental. Hill, now 47, Black, was convicted in 1991 in Cincinnati of aggravated murder for killing his 6-month-old daughter, Domika. Hamilton County prosecutors argued the infant was violently shaken. Though courts had previously upheld Hill's conviction and death sentence, recent developments brought the circumstances around the girl's death into question. In February, the 1st District Court of Appeals of Ohio ruled that Hill's attorneys had correctly established his right to an evidentiary hearing claiming he was innocent. On April 24 (see), federal Judge Edmund Sargus overturned Hill's death sentence based on evidence that Hill fell off a wall while holding Domika and accidentally crushed the infant's skull with his knee. Sargus wrote that Amy Martin, the Hamilton County deputy coroner who conducted Domika's autopsy, had made "significant revisions to the expert opinion she offered at trial." In addition, a police report withheld from Hill's attorneys at trial became available later questioned the credibility of the prosecution's main witness — Domika's mother and Hill's girlfriend. That included allegations the baby bore "physical signs" of poor care provided by her mother. Hamilton County Judge Lisa Allen handed down the new sentence Thursday. Hill is eligible for parole but it's unclear when he might leave prison. Defense attorney William Gallagher called the new sentence a fair resolution. Though Hill had had recent court victories, those wouldn't have resolved the matter and could have resulted in years of additional legal challenges, Gallagher said.