An Ohio judge this week set bail at $1 million in the case against a man accused of the brutal rape and murder of a 13-month-old girl.
According to WKYC, He was in court Friday for arraignment and pleaded not guilty to multiple felony counts.
Joshua Gurto, 37, faces charges of aggravated murder, murder, rape, felonious assault and domestic violence in connection with the Oct. 7 murder of his girlfriend’s daughter, WJW reported.
Joshua Gurto, the man accused of raping and killing a 1-year-old girl in Conneaut, is being arraigned in the Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas.Full story: http://on.wkyc.com/2zOSvpm
Posted by WKYC Channel 3 – Cleveland on Friday, November 17, 2017
After authorities found Sereniti Jazzlynn-Sky Sutley’s body at her Conneaut, Ohio, home, officials reported her cause of death was blunt-force trauma to her head and body.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Gurto was able to evade capture for about three weeks before he was apprehended late last month near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Police say he left the area and started hitchhiking shortly after an initial interview with investigators.
“He was here,” Conneaut Police Detective Mike Sullivan said at the time. “He was very cooperative through the whole initial process. We opted to release him. There were no charges to keep him at the time.”
Gurto’s disappearance sparked a nationwide manhunt until he was spotted at a Pennsylvania convenience store and detained.
The suspect was then extradited to Ohio, where he could face the death penalty if convicted.
Members of the victim’s family were in court for the hearing, with many wearing pink shirts in the baby’s memory.
Sutley’s family is also planning a fundraiser in her honor Saturday to purchase Christmas gifts for local children in need.
[Featured Image: Joshua Gurto/Sereniti Jazzlynn-Sky Sutley — Conneaut Police Department/U.S. Marshal Northern District of Ohio]
