Ohio man who gave fatal Benadryl dose to 3-year-old now charged with murder, police say
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the amount of diphenhydramine. It was 5,000 ng/ml.
A southwestern Franklin County man with a prior conviction for child abuse faces murder and other charges after giving a fatal overdose of Benadryl to a toddler, the Franklin County Sheriff's office said.
Randy Mollett, 35, is charged with murder, reckless homicide and endangering children, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records. Sheriff's deputies took him into custody Wednesday.
The sheriff's office has not identified the child.
Deputies received a call at 6:15 p.m. on April 13 about an unresponsive child at a home on the 6200 block of London Groveport Road in Darbydale in southwestern Franklin County.
When deputies arrived, they found a 3-year-old who Mollett was babysitting at his home for a family friend. Mollett told deputies the child had a medical emergency and a seizure, according to the sheriff's office.
Paramedics took the 3-year-old to Nationwide Children's Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. An investigation determined Mollett gave the child more than 5,000 ng/mL of diphenhydramine, which is an active ingredient in Benadryl, leading to the child's death, according to court documents.
According to court records, Mollett had been taking care of the child for about three days and the child's parents had not given him permission to provide Benadryl.
Mollett appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court Thursday on the reckless homicide and endangering children charges. Judge Eileen Paley set his bond at $1 million for each count, and he remains in the Franklin County Jail.
Court records show Mollett's first court appearance on the murder charge is Friday.
In 2009, Mollett was convicted of felony child endangerment and given an eight-year prison sentence, according to court records. Mollett admitted to beating a 23-month-old, causing broken bones in both of the child's hands.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio man gave fatal Benadryl dose to toddler, police say
