New Hampshire man sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for killing 7-year-old son

By Maria Wilson

Click here for updates on this story

    MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A Manchester man who pleaded guilty to murdering his son will spend 45 years to life in prison.

Murtadah Mohammad apologized in court Tuesday for causing the burn injuries that led to the death of his 7-year-old son, Jaevion Riley.

Jaevion was found in January 2023 with second- and third-degree burns covering 15% of his body. At the time, Mohammad told investigators that the boy had burned himself in the shower and from water on the stove.

But doctors said the burns were consistent with the child being forced into hot water. He also had several other injuries.

Jaevion died in the hospital days later.

Investigators said Mohammad’s phone showed he made several searches relating to scalding burns, including how to treat them and mortality rates among children with them. Those searches were made 14 hours before he called 911.

Mohammad later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. In court Tuesday, he told Jaevion’s mother he’s sorry for killing their son.

“I take full responsibility for the death of my son, Jaevion,” Mohammad said. “I should never have been using drugs and alcohol. That led to the decisions I made and ultimately led to my son’s death.”

Mohammad asked Judge William Delker for leniency, but he received the maximum sentence.

“Even now, even when your future depends on it, you haven’t been able to bring yourself to acknowledge the full scope of what you did to that child, the full magnitude of what you did,” Delker said.

Delker said “the human mind cannot imagine the abuse” Jaevion suffered.

Mohammad was taken away to immediately begin his sentence.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.