RICHIE OMONDI - 4 yo (2006) - Fullerton CA

An Orange County jury says a father was legally sane when he drowned his 4-year-old son in a bathtub.Jurors
who convicted Gideon Omondi of murder last week ruled Thursday that he
knew his actions were morally wrong, meaning he faces prison time
instead of hospital treatment.The 38-year-old Fullerton man
confessed to police hours after the 2006 killing. Prosecutors say he
was angry because of a custody battle over his son.

His defense lawyer argued Omondi suffered from a depressive mental disorder.Jurors found he was legally sane, both during the killing and during a 2004 attempt to burn his son to death.Omondi
could have been sent to a state mental hospital if he'd been judged
insane. He faces up to life in prison when he's sentenced in November.

A Fullerton man who killed his 4-year-old son to avoid paying child
support was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison, according to
the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Gideon Walter Omondi, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder and
attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation in September after
drowning his son Richie in the bathtub of his Fullerton apartment in
2006.
Orange County social workers had received three calls about possible
abuse before the child's death, but said they never had enough evidence
to act.
Omondi was a Kenyan student studying mechanical engineering at Cal
State Fullerton in 2004 when his wife and son came to the U.S. to join
him. He reportedly wanted to send them back to Kenya because it was too
expensive to support them in Orange County.
Omondi and his wife, Hellen Mwangi, ultimately divorced and the pair
shared custody of their child. But Omondi became angry that his wages
would be garnished to support Mwangi and his son, according to
authorities.
After a family court hearing in January 2006, he tried to kill his
son and himself by parking his car and dousing it in gasoline and
climbing into the trunk with his son, according to the prosecution. He
allegedly intended to set the car on fire, but a California Highway
Patrol officer interrupted the plan and Omondi reportedly told
the officer he and his son were sleeping in the car.
In September 2006, Omondi picked up his son from daycare and took
him to his apartment for the weekend. On Sunday night, he drowned
Richie, tucked his body into bed, and drove to the Fullerton police
station and confessed. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but
jurors found him to be legally sane at the time of the incident.