A 41-year-old Ohio mother who previously served prison time for the drowning death of her 3-year-old son has pleaded guilty to charges related to the suffocation of her infant son more than a decade later, court records show.
Krystal D. Krause appeared in Lake County Court on Thursday and formally entered guilty pleas to one count of reckless homicide and one count of endangering children in connection with the 2023 death of her 2-month-old son, identified in court documents as "DK."
Background
The tragic timeline spans more than a decade. According to court records and prior reporting by WKYC, Krause was first indicted in Summit County in 2009 following the drowning death of her 3-year-old son. Investigators determined the child wandered outside and fell into a swimming pool while Krause was inside the home. She told police she had stepped away for approximately 10 minutes.
Under a plea agreement in that earlier case, an involuntary manslaughter charge was reduced to reckless homicide. Krause pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and child endangering, receiving a two-year prison sentence.
More than a decade later, tragedy struck again. Officers with the Wickliffe Police Department responded to the family's home on Ridge Road on November 15, 2023, after receiving a report of an unresponsive infant, according to WKYC. First responders found the 2-month-old boy face down atop Krause's bed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Charges
During Thursday's change-of-plea hearing in Lake County Court, prosecutors revealed DK's cause of death for the first time, WOIO reported. According to the recently unsealed indictment, Krause placed her infant son in an unsafe sleep environment despite having been warned multiple times by doctors and other caregivers about proper infant sleep practices.
The indictment alleged that Krause, acting as the child's parent, "recklessly" created a "substantial risk" to the infant's health and safety by violating her duty of care. After an investigation, the case was presented to a Lake County grand jury, which returned the indictment in April 2024.
Records show Krause was arrested on April 9 after the grand jury returned the indictment two days earlier. She initially pleaded not guilty before changing her plea Thursday. She is represented by the Lake County Public Defender's Office.
Key Takeaways
- Krause previously served time for the 2009 drowning death of her 3-year-old son, receiving a two-year sentence under a plea agreement
- The infant died on November 15, 2023, after being found face down on Krause's bed in their Ridge Road home in Wickliffe, Ohio
- Prosecutors revealed for the first time at Thursday's hearing that DK suffocated due to an unsafe sleep environment
- Krause had been warned multiple times by medical professionals and caregivers about proper infant sleep practices before the incident
- She pleaded guilty to one count of reckless homicide and one count of endangering children, marking her second conviction in the death of a child
What's Next
Krause is scheduled to appear for her sentencing hearing on August 13, according to court records. She faces between 18 months and six years in prison along with a fine of up to $20,000.