Prison imposed in beating death of 8-month-old

A Columbus man will serve seven years in prison for the beating death of his girlfriend’s 8-month-old daughter.

Quentin L. Jones, 23, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to one count of involuntary manslaughter in the 2015 death of Adriana Barker.

The sentence, imposed by Judge David Young, was recommended by prosecutors and defense attorneys in a plea agreement. The maximum sentence for the offense is 11 years. Prosecutors dropped one count of child endangering.

Jones’ girlfriend, Evette M. Taylor, 22, faced the same two charges and pleaded guilty in November to involuntary manslaughter. She was sentenced to a longer term, 10 years, because authorities say she was the one who attacked the baby.

Adriana wasn’t breathing when Columbus police were called by Taylor to an apartment in the 200 block of Martin Avenue in Franklinton just before 2 a.m. on Feb. 20, 2015.

The girl died at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Doctors determined she had head-to-toe bruises, broken ribs, a lacerated liver and a bruised heart and lungs, said Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Rausch.

An autopsy determined that the injuries occurred six to eight hours before the baby’s death, a time when she was in the care of Taylor and Jones.

Neither Taylor nor Jones would tell investigators who was responsible, but it’s clear “one of them inflicted the injuries, and the other allowed it to happen,” Rausch said at Taylor’s hearing.

Although the incident was horrific, Jones wasn’t the abuser, defense attorney Paul Scott said. Still, Jones accepts responsibility for his actions, Scott said.

Jones declined to make a statement in court and showed no emotion during the hearing.