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WEST JORDAN — A Taylorsville man has been sentenced to prison for the 2015 child abuse death of his girlfriend's toddler.
Third District Judge William Kendall on Monday ordered Colossal Teton, 36, to serve three terms of at least one and up to 15 years after he was convicted of child abuse homicide and two counts of child abuse, all second-degree felonies. The judge allowed the sentences to run concurrently.
Teton told police he was on drugs and fell down stairs multiple times while carrying 9-month-old Greysen Rodriguez, eventually falling on top of him and killing him Nov. 1, 2015, court documents show.
A preliminary autopsy showed the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, court documents say, but the child also had fractures to his skull, arm and jaw. The medical examiner determined that a stair fall wasn't responsible for all of his injuries, according to court records.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, Teton pleaded guilty in June to homicide, reduced from a charge of murder, a first-degree felony. Two additional child abuse charges were dismissed in exchange for the guilty pleas.
Teton has a prior criminal history that includes convictions for assault, attempted aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, drug or alcohol-related reckless driving, retail theft and misdemeanor drug charges.
The judge on Monday gave him credit for the 2 ½ years he has served in jail.
