CHELSEA, Vt. -
Alexander Stolte, 21, of Chelsea, walked into an Orange County courtroom Wednesday to be formally sentenced for killing a child.
"You are a monster not worthy of breathing the air we breathe," said Janine McDaniel, the victim's grandmother.
The Chelsea man was baby-sitting his girlfriend's 1-year-old daughter, Kyleigh, alone while the little girl's mother was at work back in March 2010. For years, he maintained his innocence and the case was headed for trial. But weeks before it was scheduled to start, prosecutors obtained recorded phone conversations from prison. In them, Stolte admitted to slamming Kyleigh to the ground because she would not stop crying.
"Kyleigh was a beautiful child and did not deserve to have her life taken away from her," Stolte said in court.
Originally charged with murder, Stolte pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault for allegedly breaking several of the girl's bones weeks prior to her death. Stolte will spend 15-30 years behind bars.
"I am a horrible person to have taken a child away from family and friends," Stolte said. "I hope someday you can forgive me for my actions. My apology is from my heart and sincere."
Kyleigh's family and judge questioned how sincere the minute and a half apology was.
"I want to believe you are truly sorry," Vt. Superior Court Judge Harold Eaton said. "But your father, mother and sister have all said you lied to suit your purposes, so why should anybody believe you now?"
During the autopsy, the medical examiner found potential evidence of a sexual assault on the child. A hair was found, but the DNA did not match Stolte.
Reporter Matt Henson: Do you think the child was sexually assaulted?
Orange County Prosecutor William Porter: I'm not going to comment here, he was not charged with sexual assault.
"There's 1,001 innocent explanations on how a hair can get anywhere," Porter said.
Alexander Stolte's mother, Eileen Blaney, says her main goal from day one-- justice for Kyleigh. Initially she fought to clear her son's name, but now says he must pay for what he did to the little girl.
"He should have called Makenzie, he should have called me, he should have put her in her crib and calmed himself," Blaney said. "Alcohol and his own unrest didn't allow for him that night, but now he has to do the time."
And Judge Eaton described Stolte as anything but a model prisoner. Since his incarceration 2 1/2 years ago, corrections officials say Stolte has been disciplined 39 times for violations including assault, theft and having a friend attempt to smuggle drugs to him in prison.
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Alexander Stolte
Kyleigh McDaniel
