A father in Kansas has been convicted of murder in the 2021 death of his 2-year-old daughter. Jeffrey J. “James” Exon reportedly had addiction issues and was intoxicated for days at a time that led to his children being unattended and unfed, according to Fox News. The 2-year-old girl, Aurora Exon, was found to have died from a form of malnutrition by the coroner because of the negligence of her father, per the Topeka Capital-Journal.
The conviction came after jurors deliberated for two and a half hours on Monday. He will learn his sentence this summer.
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The girl’s brother testified during the father’s trial.
Aurora’s 6-year-old brother, Teddy Exon, who was 4 years old at the time of her death, testified during the father’s trial. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said Teddy testified that his dad “locked them in their rooms for several days without food while he 'slept,'” according to Fox News.
When the father called to report Aurora's death on January 5, 2021, authorities found five empty liquor bottles in his bedroom.
The child's mother said Aurora was fine the last time she saw her.
Aurora and Teddy were living with their father who had custody because their mother, Seonaid Nichols, did not have a “conducive” living situation for caring for them, per the Capital-Journal. Nichols said she was in a relationship with Exon from 2014-2019, though they were unmarried.
She said Aurora was “perfectly fine,” the last time she saw her while visiting on December 26, 2020, according to the Capital-Journal.
Exon faced several charges in the case.
Exon has been convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated child endangerment, failure by a parent to report the death of a child, and “reckless but unintentional” second-degree murder, per the Capital-Journal.
For the first-degree murder conviction, Exon will face a “presumed sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years,” Kagay said, according to the newspaper. He is expected to be sentenced on July 28.
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The little girl will be remembered fondly by those who knew her.
According to her obituary, "Aurora loved cuddling with her daddy, and playing with her brother and friends. She loved to dance and had a smile that would light up a room and the hearts of those around her." It also noted that she loved cheese and peanut butter crackers, and "she absolutely loved the show Abby Hatcher.”
