A Piqua man accused of killing a 1-year-old girl has changed his plea to guilty.
Michael Mayor, 34, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of murder, according to records from Miami County Common Pleas Court. He had previously pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in February.
Mayor is now scheduled to be sentenced on August 5. He faces 15 years to life in prison.
The case began on December 5, when a babysitter called 911 to report that a young girl in her care appeared pale, had bruises on her head, and was unresponsive. She told dispatchers she didn’t know how the injuries happened.
The child was flown to Dayton Children’s Hospital, where doctors discovered a skull fracture at the back of her head, a subdural hematoma, and other serious injuries. A physician told police the injuries were caused by a “massive impact.”
According to a police report, the girl had been dropped off at the babysitter’s home that morning. The babysitter left briefly to take other children to school, leaving the girl in Mayor’s care. When she returned, the child was lying on the bedroom floor and appeared to be asleep.
Throughout the day, the babysitter checked on the girl and said she seemed to be breathing but never woke up. By 3 p.m., concerned that the child still hadn’t stirred, she tried to wake her and found she was unresponsive.
After speaking with prosecutors, police arrested Mayor, who was the last person alone with the child.
During an interview, Mayor admitted he became frustrated while trying to get the girl to nap. He told investigators that when she wouldn’t stop crying, he shook her and then began slamming her on the bedroom floor — not on any blankets — several times until she stopped crying.
He said he believed she had fallen asleep and walked away.
