BANGOR, Maine — An Orono man who seriously injured a six-month-old infant in 2019 pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated assault.
Cyree Hansley, 27, was arrested after the baby left in his care was found to be suffering from brain injuries, a retinal hemorrhage, a spine injury, and several other injuries.
Hansley pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and assault on a child under six.
Before he was sentenced, the child's mother, Alexandria Orduna, addressed the court.
"On the day Cyree almost killed my son, he told me that I should not make him feel guilty, but he is guilty, and he should feel guilty," Orduna said. "No amount of jail time could ever be enough for what he has done to him, but I would like him to serve the longest sentence that is possible, and I want him to stand up in court and admit he is guilty for what he did."
Shortly after that, Hansley did just that.
"I am truly sorry for the trauma that Ezra went through, and I cannot imagine what you and Ezra had to endure," Hansley said. "No child should ever have to go through that. I failed as a step-in father, and I failed to protect him. Every day for the past two-and-a-half years I’ve thought about Ezra‘s well-being, and I prayed for him."
Superior Court Justice Ann Murray sentenced Hansley to nine years in prison with all but four years suspended. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim, his mother, or his grandmother.
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