Boyfriend to be charged in 4-year-old’s death
Suspect’s mother could be named an accessory
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A 20-year-old man who had been responsible for the care of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old son is expected to be charged with homicide Friday in the child’s death.
Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger said Thursday that police found Keith Jordan Lambing hiding in the attic of an abandoned home in Butler on Wednesday evening. Mr. Lambing had been the subject of a “beon-the-lookout” alert issued by authorities Tuesday after Bentley Miller died from injuries the DA described as “horrible.”
Mr. Lambing was in the house with his mother, Kristen Herold, 43, of Butler, who will be arraigned Monday on a charge of hindering apprehension as well as a possible charge of being an accessory to the homicide after the fact, Mr. Goldinger said.
“We’re refining the charges for both of them,” he said.
The Butler County coroner ruled Bentley’s death as a homicide. “It’s a disgusting and sad situation,” Mr. Goldinger said.
Bentley had been staying for several weeks at the Super 8 motel in Butler Township with his mother, Mackenzie Peters, and Mr. Lambing, her boyfriend. The couple have a 4-month-old son who now is in the care of Butler County Children, Youth and Families.
Butler Township police are leading the investigating of the child’s death, which occurred at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday at Butler Memorial Hospital.
Lt. Matthew Pearson said the county 911 center received a call from Ms. Herold at 9:24 a.m. as she drove to get him medical attention. Police said Mr. Lambing had called his mother and told her something was wrong with the child. He had been watching Bentley while the child’s mother was at work at a cleaning service.
She told 911 that the child was unresponsive and she was advised to pull off the road, which she did at the Armco Federal Credit Union parking lot in Pullman Center in Butler. Emergency responders tried to resuscitate Bentley, but he was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later at the hospital.
Mr. Lambing, who goes by the name Jordan, disappeared. He was last seen shirtless and wearing blue jeans and was thought to be suicidal, police said.
According to court documents, Mr. Lambing most recently lived in the North Hills and also had addresses in Butler and Slippery Rock.
On March 8, he was charged with felony counts of burglary, criminal trespass and conspiracy as well as terroristic threats and harassment.
According to records at the Butler County Prison, Common Pleas Judge William Shaffer issued a bench warrant March 21
for Mr. Lambing after he failed to appear the day before at a preliminary hearing on the burglary charge. He also had a pending probation detainer from a case in 2016 in which he was charged with fleeing police.
Mr. Lambing can be held on those issues pending the filing of charges in the child’s death. Ms. Herold is being detained on a bench warrant issued March 8 for failing to make required payments associated with a 2013 retail theft.
The district attorney said Ms. Herold faces new charges because she knew her son was wanted by authorities.
“She knew where he was and that we wanted to talk with him. She hid his whereabouts,” Mr. Goldinger said.