RUSSELL, Kan. (KSNT) – A judge has sentenced a Russell man to 20 years in prison for the second-degree abuse and murder of a child.

“Jody Steven Fox, 29, of Russell, was sentenced April 5 by Senior Judge Edward Bouker in Russell County District Court. Fox pleaded no contest to the death of a 14-month old child in 2017. He was sentenced to 200 months in prison for second-degree murder and 34 months for child abuse to be served consecutively. Fox was also ordered to register as a violent offender for 15 years after his release.“

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt

Brandi Niehoff, the mother of the child, will be sentenced on April 13 after entering a plea of no contest in December 2020.