Investigators later discovered that the metal spatula allegedly used in the assaults had been broken and discarded — an apparent attempt by Harasymczuk to eliminate physical evidence.
This led prosecutors to file additional charges against him: assault on a minor and tampering with evidence. In March, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts.
During sentencing last week in Yellowstone County District Court, Judge Colette Davies handed Harasymczuk an 80-year term for the homicide, along with two additional 15-year sentences for the lesser charges.
All three sentences are to be served concurrently, meaning he will effectively serve 80 years in total. The courtroom remained somber as the punishment was read, a moment that marked the end of a devastating chapter but not the end of the legal process.
On the same day Harasymczuk was sentenced, prosecutors also indicted his wife, Lana. She now faces three counts of criminal child endangerment and three counts of tampering with evidence. As of now, she has not entered a plea. Her case remains pending, and she has not commented publicly.
Attorneys for both Kristopher and Lana Harasymczuk did not respond to requests for comment.
The case continues to raise painful questions about missed warning signs, the responsibility of caregivers, and the urgent need for child welfare protections.
For now, a child’s life has been lost under the most harrowing of circumstances, and two more children remain in the shadow of trauma that will take years — if not a lifetime — to heal.
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