Ohio couple gets life for murder of infant son found months later in well

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WJW) -- An Ohio jury has convicted a couple of multiple charges in the death of their infant son whose body was found in a well.

Jessica Groves, 39, was sentenced Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole in the death of 2-month-old Dylan Groves. A jury deliberated for several hours Friday afternoon before finding her guilty of aggravated murder, abuse of a corpse and other charges.

The child's father, Daniel Groves, 41, was convicted of murder, abuse of a corpse and other charges but was acquitted of aggravated murder. A judge sentence him to life in prison with parole eligibility in 47 years.

Daniel Groves testified during cross-examination Friday that his wife aggressively picked up Dylan from his crib in late March. He said he saw her hit the child in the head multiple times. A coroner testified at trial that Dylan suffered skull fractures, broken ribs, a broken arm and a broken shin bone.

Scioto County Children Services took formal custody of Dylan after he tested positive for methamphetamine at birth in January 2019 and was then placed with his father. Jessica Groves, a former licensed practical nurse, was allowed to visit the family's home but was not permitted to live there.

Dylan was killed in late March during a visit, Jessica Groves testified. The infant's body was not found until June. That's when Daniel Groves told authorities that he and his wife had placed the body in a makeshift coffin and left it in a well in a field across the road from a church camp in Otway, roughly 85 miles east of downtown Cincinnati.