DAYTON, Ohio (Court TV) — A tearful defendant offered an apology at his sentencing before he was sent to prison for killing a young child with special needs.
Ashley Johnson and Michael Kendrick (Montgomery County Jail)
Michael Kendrick, 40, pleaded guilty to murder, tampering with evidence, endangering children and gross abuse of a corpse in the death of his girlfriend’s son, 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum. Hershall, who had autism, was described as being nonverbal and requiring a wheelchair.
Kendrick called 911 on July 12, 2025, to report the child missing. He told the police that a homeless man had beaten him to the point of unconsciousness. When he woke up, he said that Hershall, the child’s wheelchair and the homeless man were all gone. Hours after Hershall was reported missing, his remains were found a short distance from his home.
In an interview with investigators, Hershall’s mother, Ashley Johnson, allegedly said that her son died while he was having surgery months before, but that Kendrick had disposed of his body near railroad tracks. In an arrest affidavit reviewed by Court TV, investigators said Johnson reported that Kendrick told her Hershall “died from natural causes.”
Kendrick told a different story to police when they interviewed him, telling them that Hershall died weeks earlier, after Kendrick punched the child in the head. Kendrick said he had been drinking and arguing when he hit the child; he said he then “pushed him down, causing him to bounce off the floor and striking other parts of his body.” Kendrick allegedly told investigators that he then kept the child’s body in a deep freezer in the home before he eventually “stuffed him into a suitcase and disposed of his body in a grassy field near train tracks. He then, after a few weeks, went back and recovered the bones,” the affidavit said. Kendrick led officers to the remains, which he had left there.
FILE – Hershall Creachbaum is seen in an undated photo. (Dayton Police Department)
“You’re a cold-blooded child killer that doesn’t deserve to be out here,” one of Hershall’s relatives said in a victim impact statement at Thursday’s sentencing, WDTN reported.
Kendrick also spoke at the hearing. “He was like a son to me,” he said through tears. “I’m sorry.”
The judge sentenced Kendrick to 20 years to life in prison, a result that satisfied Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney Lynda Dodd. “This is as good as we could have gotten going to trial, so this was a 100% good outcome for this case,” she told cameras outside the courthouse.
Johnson has pleaded not guilty to charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence; her trial is scheduled to begin at the end of the month. Dodd told reporters that after both cases have been adjudicated, Hershall’s remains will finally be released to his family.
