Hudson Valley Man Murders 6-Year-Old New York Boy

A Hudson Valley man left his girlfriend's 6-year-old child outside during the peak of winter for 10 hours as a punishment.

Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnely announced on Wednesday that a Rensselaer County jury found 42-year-old Kevin Cox of Ulster County guilty of two counts of murder in the second degree and one count of assault in the first degree. The jury found Cox guilty following a two-week trial.

The charges stem from the killing of 6-year-old Davonte Paul of Lansingburgh, New York on Feb. 11, 2020. Cox was later arrested in May in his home in Kerhonkson, News 10 reports.

Ulster County Man Convicted For Killing Capital Region Child

"Our thanks to our partners at the Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office who prosecuted this case, leading to the guilty verdict of Kevin Cox. We will never replace the loss left by Davonte's death, however, we hope this will provide some measure of justice," the Troy Police Department stated.

The 6-year-old child was found unresponsive in a bathtub at his home located at 709 5th Ave in Lansingburgh after his mother called 911.

District Attorney Donnely confirmed that according to evidence Davonte was found after his mother called 911 to report her 6-year-old had drowned in the bathtub. However, no water was found in the child's lungs.

"Kevin Cox has been found guilty on all charges in the death of Davonte Paul. The DA's office is grateful for the hard work of Troy PD and the New York State Police as we sought justice for our six-year-old victim," Donnely wrote on Facebook about the verdict.

Lansingburgh, New York Left Outside To Freeze To Death

The jury found 42-year-old Kevin Cox guilty of locking Davonte Paul outside of his home to freeze to death. Prosecutors say the boy was left outdoors for about 10 hours as a punishment. The 6-year-old died from hypothermia and shock.

"As proven at trial, Cox punished the child by forcing him to sit outside on a snow-covered deck on a blistering cold February night. Cox left Davonte outside for hours which directly caused his death. This was a heartbreaking case and I applaud the jurors who sat through the difficult testimony and viewed evidence of the death of this child," Donnelly said in a press release.

Cox was the boyfriend of Davonte's mother, WRGB reports. Cox faces 25 years to life in prison when sentenced on May 18.