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A Sandy man on Thursday pleaded to a reduced child homicide count in the death last year of an 8-month-old in West Valley City to whom he gave a sedative.

Gene Richins, 32, was charged in 3rd District Court with first-degree felony child abuse homicide for the August 2013 death of his girlfriend's infant daughter.

Richins on Thursday pleaded guilty to a lesser second-degree felony count of child abuse homicide.

He faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 6 by Judge Vernice Trease. But prosecutors have promised to recommend no prison time in exchange for his plea.

Richins was caring for his girlfriend's infant daughter throughout the night before the girlfriend awoke the morning of Aug. 9, 2013, to find the child had died in her playpen, according to court documents.

The infant, identified as K.S., initially was found to have died from positional asphyxia while she was lying face-down in the playpen, police wrote. But after lab work was conducted, medical examiners determined that she could not shift her position because she was intoxicated on Trazodone, a prescription anti-depressant with sleep-inducing effects, which her mother took.

In a statement supporting his guilty plea, Richins admitted giving the infant a small amount of Trazodone in an infant syringe with infant Tylenol because the baby was crying and could not be consoled.

Richns then put the baby back in her crib, knowing that "Trazodone was a prescription sedative, and knew it could have posed a risk" to the infant, according to the plea statement.