Missouri man gets 15-year term for trying to drown infant

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to drown his infant daughter in a pond.

Jonathan Zicarelli was sentenced Friday after he pleaded guilty to child abuse in the attempted drowning in December 2018 in Greenwood, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City.

Authorities said he walked into the Greenwood police station and told officers he had just drowned his daughter in a nearby pond, according to court records. Two officers rushed to the pond and rescued the 6-month-old girl. Authorities believe she was in the pond for about 10 minutes.

Zicarelli told authorities he decided to kill the child to make things easier for his wife and because he was stressed from trying to provide for the family, according to court documents.

The Greenwood police chief at the time, Greg Hallgrimson, was one of the officers who rescued the child. He pleaded guilty last month to violating Zicarelli’s civil rights.

Prosecutors said after the rescue, Hallgrimson threw a handcuffed Zicarelli to the ground and punched him in the face.