Following nearly two weeks of testimony, a Wisconsin jury found Josie Diekman guilty on numerous charges, in connection with the 2023 death of Alexavier “A.J.” Pedrin, 6.
According to the La Crosse Tribune, the jury deliberated for around seven hours before finding Dikeman guilty Friday of:
- First-degree reckless homicide
- Chronic neglect of a child
- Repeated physical abuse of a child causing death
In February 2023, authorities found A.J. unresponsive at his home in Mederay, with blunt force trauma to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A medical examiner stated that he also had brain swelling, a torn liver, and “multiple bruises” around his neck and face. He also had toxic levels of Xanax in his system.
At the time of his death, Dikeman, identified as the girlfriend of A.J.’s father, had been the only adult present in the home.
Court TV reports that a month prior to his death, A.J. arrived at a hospital with a fractured femur. A physician had concerns about potential child abuse.
Dikeman’s own children testified during trial that they saw the defendant kicking, hitting, and choking A.J. on numerous occasions.
“You saw the bruising on his body, on multiple planes on both sides of his face, head, and throughout all sides of his scalp, including on the top of his head. That was this defendant’s stamp of abuse,” DA Matthew Torbenson told the court.
The defense argued that although Dikeman called 911 herself about the child finding a bag of pills, authorities judged her immediately and surmised “she must have staged that scene.”
Sentencing is scheduled to take place in a few months. The repeated physical abuse of a child causing death charge necessitates a life in prison sentence, according to Wisconsin law.
In 2023, his grandmother, Cheryl, described A.J. as a “typical little kid that just had fun,” ABC 19 reports.
“It’s hard seeing my other grandsons without him…I’m just so sad what he went through.”
[Featured image: A.J. Pedrin/Handout]
