Man Gets 8 Years For Leaving Nephew To Die In House Fire

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — The uncle of a baby who was killed in a 2017 house fire has been sentenced to just over eight years in prison.

Twenty-six-year-old Jesse Lee Bonacci-Koski had been charged with manslaughter and other counts in the August 2017 death of 11-month-old Bentley Koski. Prosecutors say Bonacci-Koski left his nephew home alone that day when a fire broke out.

In an interview with investigators, Bonacci-Koski allegedly said he left the baby for two hours to buy meth.

The St. Louis County prosecuting attorney said that Bonacci-Koski left the child trapped in the crib, completely dependent on his uncle.

This week, he was sentenced to 98 months in prison for manslaughter, as well as 30 months for a stolen vehicle and another year for drug possession.