The Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court, Fourth Department, has unanimously upheld the 2021 second-degree murder conviction of Kelly Anderson for the death of her 16-month-old son, Ethan Eslick, in 2002.
The case, initially a cold case from August 2002, was reactivated in March 2018 by Yates County Sheriff’s Office investigators and District Attorney Todd Casella.
The investigation, which included assistance from the State Police Special Investigations Unit, FBI, and their Behavioral Analysis Unit, led to a grand jury indictment in June 2020.
Anderson was found guilty after a two-hour jury deliberation and sentenced to 23 years to life in prison.
Anderson’s appellate attorney contested the admission of wiretapped phone call recordings and testimony about alleged prior abuse of Ethan, arguing these infringed upon Anderson’s constitutional rights and lacked clear evidence. However, the court rejected these claims, as well as the assertion of ineffective counsel by Anderson’s trial lawyer.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].