After less than two hours of deliberation Thursday, Sept. 13, a jury in State District Court in Virginia found Jesse Lee Bonacci-Koski guilty on all counts, including one charge of manslaughter/child endangerment, another of manslaughter/child neglect plus theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.
The 26-year-old Hibbing man's convictions stem from the death of Bentley Koski, his 11-month-old nephew. The child was presumed to be in his care but was left unattended when a house fire claimed the boy's life on the morning of Aug. 2, 2017.
The prosecution rested its case Thursday morning after calling four St. Louis County Sheriff's deputies to the witness stand, as well as a man who discovered the Jeep that Bonacci-Koski allegedly stole from a neighbor to flee the fire scene.
Bonacci-Koski decided not to testify, nor did the defense call any witnesses of its own, choosing instead to send the case directly to the jury.
More details emerged Thursday about the events of Aug. 2.