Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 18-year-old Devon VanDerWege of Marilla has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi to a determinate sentence of 20 years in prison followed by 2 1/2 years of post-release supervision.

On March 10, 2017, at a mobile home park on Hemstreet Road in the Town of Marilla, the defendant, while babysitting 2 1/2-year-old Ethan Bigham of Marilla, caused the death of the toddler by blunt force trauma.

The defendant pleaded guilty before Judge Bargnesi to Manslaughter in the First Degree in February 2018.

“This individual committed the most heinous crime, causing the death of a child,” said DA Flynn. “Therefore, I applaud Judge Bargnesi’s decision to deny Mr. VanDerWege youthful offender status.”

DA Flynn commends the investigative work of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, including Senior Detective Jack Graham, and Detectives Jonathan Hanna, Christian Parisi and Shaun Hediger.

Chief Colleen Curtin Gable of the DA’s Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Nicholas T. Texido prosecuted the case.