ST. GEORGE, Utah — In an emotional hearing, a man convicted of shaking his two-year-old baby stepdaughter to death received the maximum sentence from a judge Tuesday.
During the hearing at the Fifth District Courthouse in St. George, the mother of Emmaline Mitchell received nothing but compliments from the judge, while the family of Randy Lessing was escorted from the courtroom after multiple outbursts.
Lessing was sentenced to serve five years to life for the death of Mitchell. He'll also serve consecutive sentences of up to 15 years on two other counts related to DUI and drug probation violations.
During the hearing, Judge Jay Winward mentioned how he had seen Mitchell's mother, ZzKora Ringger, with her and Lessing’s son at a recent holiday Dickens festival and thought how good a mother she was.
"He asked my name and I told him, and he's like, 'you're an amazing mom. I'm not allowed to talk to you, but you're an amazing mom.' Ringger shared at the hearing.
Wearing a shirt with the survivors and deceased of shaken baby syndrome in 2023, including her own daughter, Ringger told the court how her life has been consumed by the grief for Emmaline, who she said she will never be able to teach how to ride a bike or tie her shoe. Lessing never raised his head from a looking down position as Ringger spoke.
After the hearing, Ringger said that justice had been served and that it would keep her going as she raises her son, a boy Winward said would not only be deprived of a sister but also a father.
"It’s knowing that my daughter can rest peacefully now and that she can look down on me and be proud of what I've achieved fighting for her afterlife," Ringger said.
Lessing also spoke before the judge.
"There's nothing I can say to you that can take this pain away," he said. "I will forever be sorry for your mother and her baby brother."
But as Winward laid out the sentence, he said the jury didn’t believe Lessing’s assertion that the child’s injuries came from her falling, adding that Lessing hasn’t faced up to being responsible for his stepdaughter’s death and gave the maximum sentence possible under guidelines.
A bailiff was ordered to remove Lessing’s parents from the courtroom after they yelled expletives at both Ringger and the judge.
"That kind of spiked a little bit of excitement knowing that his family was quite upset," admitted Ringger. "They've defended Randy throughout this whole entire thing, claiming his innocence and that was just not true."
