GLADYS, VIRGINIA: A former live-in girlfriend who came up with multiple accounts regarding the cause of severe head injuries caused to a three-year-old toddler named Ian Berger who was in her care has been sentenced 20 years behind bars following a no contest plea to murder.
Megan Paris, 32, appeared distressed in a Campbell County, Virginia, courtroom while being sentenced to 40 years with 20 of those years suspended in the second-degree murder case.
Paris, a Gladys resident, told investigators at least three different versions of how the severe injuries occurred following Berger's tragic demise due to a traumatic brain injury.
It included stories of the toddler falling out of a booster seat and hitting his head on a bathtub or falling down the stairs.
The victim was abused by Megan Paris
According to ABC affiliate WSET, Paris had abused the victim several months earlier which included inflicting bruises and breaking his shoulder.
The defendant even chose not to call the medical responders on the day the toddler suffered fatal injuries.
According to the outlet, prosecutors said and testified that it was evident that Berger did not merely fall down or accidentally hit his head in the bathtub due to the severity of his injuries.
An emergency skull surgery was performed by the doctors to save the victim, but it was already too late by then as he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital on September 18, 2020.
What did the victim's father say?
In a victim impact statement at Paris' sentencing, Ian’s father David Berger of Rustburg, said “there are no more good mornings, good afternoons, good days or good nights for me.”
“There are only days and bad days,” he added.
Locals launched a fundraiser after his son's death. David credited those locals for saving his life.
“To be honest, if it wasn’t for friends like this, I probably wouldn’t be here,” David Berger said at the time.
“It’s been really nice having a bunch of friends helping me through the hardest time of my life," he added.
The victim's father shared a heart-wrenching post
David shared a heartbreaking post in May 2021 in which he remembered the good times with Ian. He also called for justice and revealed how hard his life had become.
"I’m so glad I got to teach him how to fish. He was instantly hooked on fishing. We ended up spending most of the day fishing instead of going out on the boat. As a father I longed for moments like this", he penned in the post.
"I remember the feeling when my dad taught me things. How excited I was, I couldn’t wait to teach Ian everything I had to offer. I miss and love you so much buddy," he continued.
According to court records, Paris initially faced the top charge of first-degree murder but it was later amended to second-degree murder. She pleaded no contest in February.
