BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — A Bowling Green man received two life sentences for the murders of a 23-year-old woman he was in a relationship with and her unborn child last spring.
Jimmy Cole, 30, pleaded guilty to other charges, too, that then "merged into the two counts of murder" he was convicted of, according to a press release from Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson.
Conviction on a murder charge in Ohio carries a life penalty with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Since Cole will serve the sentences consecutively, he will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
Alicia Rosa died from four stab wounds on March 30, 2023. Her unborn son, Amor, died as a result of her death.
According to the press release, Cole's defense tried to argue that the two separate murder charges should be merged into one because Amor was not legally viable when he died. Prosecutor Dobson, however, said viability was not necessary to the murder statute and "evidence showed that the infant was 20-21 weeks old and was alive and healthy at the time of the stabbing."
"We are pleased that the Court rejected the arguments of the defense that Baby Amor was not a separate life," Dobson said of the sentencing. " This offense was horrific and the fact that Alicia's parents had to find her body in that state is unimaginable. The family is grateful that Judge Kuhlman gave Cole a sentence that will keep the public protected from him for many years to come. We hope that this resolution will bring some small measure of comfort to that family and be a first step in their healing process."