COVINGTON, Ky. — A Kenton County woman has been sentenced to 33 years in prison after a jury convicted her for the murder of her 2-year-old son.
Ashley Baker, 35, was charged with murder, importing fentanyl and trafficking in a controlled substance in 2021 after Ludlow police said her son ingested fentanyl and died.
First responders were called to the 200 block of Stokesay Street in March 2021 for an overdose. When they arrived, they found 2-year-old Jaxson Vogt unconscious and unresponsive on Baker's bedroom floor. Police found fentanyl scattered across Baker's bed as well as Narcan packaging.
During an investigation into Vogt's death, police learned that when Vogt's father came home from work and woke Baker, she noticed the child's lifeless body in her lap. Baker told detectives she used her stimulus check to buy $1,200 worth of fentanyl that she was sharing with the child's father and another woman.
More than two years after Vogt's death, a Kenton County jury took less than two hours to find Baker guilty, sentencing her to a total of 33 years in prison.
"This is Kenton County's first Murder conviction for an overdose death, so it's sadly historic," Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said. "The jury sent a strong message to drug abusing parents that they'll be held accountable for Murder if their child dies as a result of their drug use."
As a violent offender, Baker is required to serve at least 20 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
