Terrance Leslie sentenced to 40 years in prison for Maplewood infant's death
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A Maplewood man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend's baby last October.
Terrance Valdez Leslie, 27, originally pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, but last month changed it to guilty as a result of a plea deal, according to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office.
With Minnesota statutes, Leslie will serve at least 26 years and 8 months in prison with the remainder of his sentence on supervised release.
Additionally, Leslie owes $7,000 in restitution.
On Oct. 18, 2022, emergency responders were dispatched at 7:30 p.m. to the 1400 block of County Road B East on the report of a 17-month-old girl with significant burn injuries. Despite attempts to save her life, the victim died shortly after at the hospital.
According to the criminal complaint, Leslie was watching the child that evening as the mother was working. He told police that he was preparing a bath for the child and left the child in the bathroom while he tended to his dog. He said the child fell in the hot water, so he took the child out and called the child's mother.
Investigators said measurements of the temperature of the hot water from the bathtub did not appear hot enough to cause the degree of burns suffered by the victim.
Through a search warrant, investigators were able to look through the content of Leslie's phone and found videos taken on the same day of the child's death. According to the complaint, the videos show him assaulting and yelling at the child, who appears injured.
Doctors also found signs of other injuries and believe the child was the victim of ongoing abuse.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office deemed the death homicide, saying the child died of multiple traumatic injuries.
Local Domestic Violence Resources
Women's Advocates
Crisis Line: (651) 227-8284
St. Paul & Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
Crisis Line: (651) 645-2824
Minnesota Day One
Crisis Line: 1-866-223-1111
Esperanza United
Bilingual crisis line: (651) 772-1611.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.