Man to serve up to 65 years for torturing 3-year-old boy
The 22-year-old Ypsilanti Township man convicted of torture and child abuse will spend between 31 and 65 years in prison, a judge ruled this week.
Harvey Wince
Courtesy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Harvey Wince was convicted March 21 by a jury in his second trial after his original trial ended with a hung jury. On Monday, Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Darlene O’Brien sentenced him to prison on a count of torture, one count of first-degree child abuse and one count of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer, court records show.
Wince will serve between 31 years and eight months and 65 years in prison on the torture charge. His sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison for the first-degree child abuse charge will be served concurrently with the torture sentence. He received credit of one year, one month and 28 days on that sentence.
O’Brien also sentenced Wince to 10 months and 16 days in jail for the assaulting, resisting or obstructing police charge with credit for time served.
Wince was convicted of severely burning a 3-year-old boy who he was baby-sitting on April 1, 2012. According to police, Wince was watching the boy for his girlfriend at a home in the 8900 block of MacArthur Boulevard in Superior Township. The girlfriend was usually the primary baby sitter.
Investigators said Wince intentionally placed the boy in scalding hot bath water, holding him there and causing severe burns. The temperature of the water was estimated between 120 and 125 degrees.
The boy’s mother testified at a preliminary exam that his skin was falling off. The boy was treated at University of Michigan Hospital’s intensive care burn unit from April 1 until May 21, 2012, for burns that covered 18 percent of his body.
Wince told police he put the boy in the bathtub, in ankle-deep water that was lukewarm, while he went to play the video game “Call of Duty.” Wince said he returned to the bathroom later and found the boy standing in the bathroom with “soggy” skin. He said the boy turned the hot water on himself.
Wince was charged on April 4, 2012 and his original trial ended in a hung jury on Nov. 5, 2012.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
morgan blank
Wed, May 8, 2013 : 9:13 a.m.
This is a terrible miscarriage of justice. America has the largest prison population in the world, including China. We can't just keep on filling up the prisons instead of fixing the economy. Wince obviously deserves some time, but 15 years is ridiculous. Apparently the police themselves proved that his story is possible. This world is filled with child tortures and rapists. What about the Fox Island child porn ring? The Franklin Credit sex scandal? The reason those men didn't get 15 years is because they had connections with the corrupt justice system. Those who feel lynching Wince somehow protects children are a much greater danger. Today's children will grow up to face the same kangaroo courts that convict on a public whim, regardless of justice. Most of them will be arrested several times before that, and probably be forcibly medicated. Every injustice will come back to haunt those cowards who let TVs emotional examples cloud their concept of what justice is. Let the punishment fit the crime.
Chris Ffr
Fri, May 10, 2013 : 1:32 p.m.
Why do you say the punishment doesn't fit the crime? Honestly if it were up to me I would have sentenced him to deportation after he finished his prison time. If he could do that to one kid who is to say he couldn't do it again if he ever got out?
JEH
Tue, May 7, 2013 : 4:18 p.m.
As a juror, I felt bad for Mr. Wince. But I felt worse for the little boy. If you didn't hear all the evidence, see all the pictures, and haven't suffered the nightmares, you can still voice your opinion, but it may not have a lot of meaning.
grimmk
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 10:34 a.m.
Who puts a baby in a tub of water and walks away? I am so sorry that this whole situation occurred, for all three parties. I know it can be hand to watch a baby, but some common sense should have prevailed. A baby is more important than a video game. He is very lucky the baby did not drown.
734
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 4:37 a.m.
These girls leaving their children with these random boyfriends that they really don't even know and have probably only dated for a short period is just mind boggling to me. It's disgusting that they are even allowed to have children. Then they have more and more because the government will pay them more and more. If you are ignorant enough to leave your child with some guy,then you don't deserve that responsibility of motherhood. It is a gift. Girls theses days just use their kids to get money. They don't love them and care for them like children should be nurtured and cared for. That's why humans are growing up killing each other brutally, because they never had a mother, or anyone for that matter, who really cared about them. It's so sad. Every issue America has is a family issue!!!
obviouscomment
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
I was with you in the first sentence...then you lost me
RoboLogic
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 12:43 a.m.
I hope these kind of sentences are what we can expect from this Judge in the future on similar crimes. Too many softys in Washtenaw...we need a Judge to be feared.
stevek
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 11:14 p.m.
A lot of bad stuff occurrs on or near Macarthur Blvd
obviouscomment
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 7:54 p.m.
Unfortunately, location has nothing to do with child abuse...it can happen anywhere
dkk
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 10:56 p.m.
I was on the jury. It was very sad to convict the young man. He very obviously hurt this young child. He had a horrible bite mark that Harvey admitted to doing. He was punched in the face and stomach and had a lacerated liver. The doctor at U of M testified that it was the worse case of child abuse she had ever seen. Very sad story.
mady
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.
dkk, how many times do you intend to repeat this post.........we heard you the first time........you're now at 3.....
ArthGuinness
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 2:08 a.m.
Can this be confirmed by the News? The original article makes it sound like he only did one thing which he disputed. If this is confirmed, it's not clear to me why he should ever be let out. Thanks for the additional info dkk.
Elaine F. Owsley
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 9:35 p.m.
Sometimes the system just works!!!!
ArthGuinness
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 9:32 p.m.
The jury heard the evidence, we didn't. So I'm going to assume they had a very good reason to believe the investigators' version. Hopefully justice was served correctly.
julieswhimsies
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 8:56 p.m.
Good.
Mike
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 7:22 p.m.
WOW!!!! New this kid when he was in high school. Well mannered, polite, and seemed motivated. I had informed him of where to find a job at one point . I never followed up to see if he'd went. This is so sad and such a tragedy on many levels. I am SHOCKED
Silly Sally
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 3:31 p.m.
What is interesting is the term "scalding hot" and then the article stated that investigators estimated that it was only 120 degrees. Some men in my family use water at that temperature when shaving. I knew that very young children's skin was more tender, but not that much different, where a man can shave with it and a child can have his skin falling off. I would have thought very red like a sunburn. Let all of us be warned by this very sad example, If a child is left unattended in a bathtub, even for 10 or 15 seconds, they can still turn on the water. Many homes have the hot water turned up much, much hotter than 120 or 125, often 140 or more.
Sue
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 2:44 p.m.
Silly Sally, you certainly live up to your moniker if you truly believe the child would have turned the hot water on himself and then sat there until his skin was falling off before thinking about getting out of the tub. Do you also think he bit and beat himself in the face and stomach, causing a laceration to his liver? Why would yo want to give any credibility to that monster's story?
dkk
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 10:59 p.m.
I was on the jury. It was very sad to convict the young man. He very obviously hurt this young child. He had a horrible bite mark that Harvey admitted to doing. He was punched in the face and stomach and had a lacerated liver. The doctor at U of M testified that it was the worse case of child abuse she had ever seen. Very sad story.
Chris
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 10:40 p.m.
The kid could have turned on the hot water, but would have immediately squealed and screamed and tried to get away. He could have ended up with a scald, but not 3rd degree burns on 18 percent of his body.
Billy
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 4:54 p.m.
Hot tubs are around 110 degrees at the hot end I thought, so that 120 can end up feeling pretty hot I bet........... Well I just looked it up...and according to the national burn foundation....Water that's 133 degrees takes about 15 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns..it takes exponentially less time the hotter the water gets. They also said children can be sensitive to water above 100 degrees too, so if the water was only 120 degrees, which would be tolerable to you and I...it would have still been way too hot for the 3 year old's skin... My 3 year old is more than smart enough to turn the hot water on when the water in the tub starts to get cold. That might have been what happened here....he ignored the kid long enough that the water got nice and cold, and the kid knew that warm water came out of the faucet so he just turned it on.
John of Saline
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 2:59 p.m.
Have fun in Marquette.
dukeravenwood
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 2:39 p.m.
Not that anybody would have an easy time in prison, but I have to believe that Harvey is going to have a very difficult time for himself.
mady
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 3:42 p.m.
we can only hope......
Linda Peck
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 1:21 p.m.
I think this is a proper sentence.
yesisaidit
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 12:58 p.m.
I knew this young man when he was in school he was a very nice young man I feel very bad for him and his family I wont judge him because I was not at that home with him..
catfishrisin
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 3:14 p.m.
You judging him is irrelevant. A jury judged him and found him guilty. Now this very nice young man can pay for his horrific crime.
brian
Sat, May 4, 2013 : 1:21 a.m.
You friends with the Boston Bombers too?
stevek
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 11:12 p.m.
I will judge him for you. He was found guilty. No sympathy from me.
dkk
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 10:57 p.m.
I was on the jury. It was very sad to convict the young man. He very obviously hurt this young child. He had a horrible bite mark that Harvey admitted to doing. He was punched in the face and stomach and had a lacerated liver. The doctor at U of M testified that it was the worse case of child abuse she had ever seen. Very sad story.
yesisaidit
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 2:16 p.m.
I feel very bad for the family I was just saying its hard to believe ppl can change so much I wasn't saying he was right just meaning its very sad and I am not here to judge.. sorry if you took it the wrong way..
Homeland Conspiracy
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 1:50 p.m.
Not one word about the 3 year old he TORTURED!!!
ThaKillaBee
Fri, May 3, 2013 : 1:10 p.m.
Okay.