HAMILTON, Ohio -- Officials have approved parole for a dad who raped his 22-month-old son in 1994.
Mark Sprague has a projected released date of Oct. 1, 2018, according to a spokesperson for the Ohio Parole Board. Authorities will determine a halfway house for him closer to that date.
Sprague admitted to raping his son, Christopher. The boy's mother, Della Sprague, then killed him by hitting him, causing a vein near his heart to rupture. Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser previously said he believes Mark Sprague is an accessory to the boy's death.
"The child probably was crying as a result of the sex - the deviant sexual misconduct," Gmoser said earlier this month. "What would you expect from a 22-month old child having been assaulted in that manner? Of course he's going to be crying continuously, and the mother stopped it lethally."
Della Sprague pleaded guilty in Christopher's death and was released after serving a prison sentence.
Mark Sprague was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 10 years. This was his second attempt to get parole.
