Billings Man Sentenced For The Chilling Murder Of His Stepson

• A 40 year old Montana man faces 80 years in prison for murdering his stepson
• Kristopher Michael Harasymczuk beat his 4 year old stepson then putting him in scalding hot water until he died

The Abuse And Death of Jaxsynn Gatlin Happened In 2021 In Billings, Montana

Yellowstone County District Court Judge Collette Davies sentenced Harasymczuk to 80 years for murder and 15 years each count of assaulting a minor. Judge Davies ordered the time served for the crimes to be concurrent.

Here is a timeline of events from Law and Crime and KTVQ:

• Billings police and emergency personnel were called to the Harasymczuk house on October 22, 2021. The call stated the child was unresponsive
• Jaxsynn was dry and laying next to the bathtub when the first responders first encountered him. They said he was hotter than he should be
• The 4 year old was pronounced dead at the hospital
• An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be hyperthermia, making notes that his temperature had reached 102 degrees the day he died, and the child also had bruising on his face and body
• Jaxsynn's siblings were also abused by Harasymczuk and detailed that in their interviews
• Jaxsynn's mother first told the police he was bathing alone and drowned. She later admitted that her husband was the last person in the bathroom with the 4 year old, and she heard her son screaming
• Jaxsynn's mother, Lana Marie Harasymczuk, has her bail set at 100,000 dollars and will have to wear a monitor if released

Montana Has A Child Abuse Problem

While we're not as bad as some states, Montana is worse than most. I couldn't find a definitive number as the where we rank in child abuse, on this list Montana is at #17.

Source: KTVQ, Law and Crime

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