Knepley convicted in baby's death

NAPOLEON — Napoleon resident David Knepley has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and child endangering for the 2007 death of 13-month-old Kamryn Gerken, who succumbed to a lethal mix of oxycodone and Xanax.

The 12-member Henry County Common Pleas Court jury delivered its verdict at about 8:15 p.m. Thursday after four hours of deliberation. Mr. Knepley had shared a Napoleon apartment with the girl and her mother, Jayme Schwenkmeyer. A sentencing date is to be scheduled.

Ms. Schwenkmeyer, 25, of Liberty Center is to stand trial in March for a third time on charges of child endangering and involuntary manslaughter. She had been found guilty of both charges, but a judge in December order a new trial after it was learned that prosecutors failed to disclose a witness whose testimony might have affected the verdicts.

The mother’s first trial in 2009 ended in a mistrial.

Young Kamryn died of a mix of multiple drugs, including the painkiller oxycodone and the anti-anxiety medication Xanax. 

Prosecutors have said the adults responsible for her were reckless, even though authorities are unclear how the girl ingested the drugs.