Minnesota Teenager to Spend Life in Prison for Raping and Murdering 2-Year-Old Boy

A man in Minnesota was sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of a 2-year-old child two years ago, according to authorities.

On April 16, 2021, officers responded to an apartment in Mankato for what they called a medical incident, KEYC reported.

A male toddler was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

An autopsy completed by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office found the boy suffered multiple injuries consistent with sexual assault, coercion and a beating. Officials ruled the boy’s death a murder.

The suspect, Lee Wayne Young Jr., who was 16 years old at the time, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and murder.

In June 2023, a jury found Young Jr., now 19 years old, guilty of 20 felony charges of murder in the first degree and sexual assault in the first degree, authorities said.

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On July 27, a judge in the Blue Earth County Court sentenced Young Jr. to life in prison, KEYC reported.

According to the Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office, there is a chance of parole for Young Jr.