Battle Creek man sentenced in death of 2-year-old

A 33-year-old Battle Creek man was sentenced up to five years in prison for his role in the 2024 death of a 2-year-old Sturgis Township child.

Frederick Nelson, boyfriend of Paige Bohne, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to the common-law offense of accessory after the fact in the suffocation death of Octavia Bohne.

St. Joseph County Probate Judge Kevin Kane exceeded the 18-month minimum sentence at the request of Chief Assistant Prosecutor Gary Gabry, after the Freedom of Information Act release of the sheriff’s investigation and its use on social media.

Nelson, Bohne and her daughters were staying in her uncle’s trailer east of Sturgis when Octavia died.

Bohne was sentenced in December to at least 19 years for first-degree child abuse, and at least five years for assault, after pleading guilty last July.