LA CROSSE, Wis. (Court TV) — A Wisconsin woman convicted of killing her boyfriend’s young son blamed the child’s father at her sentencing.
Josie Dikeman appears at her sentencing on Aug. 7, 2026. (Court TV)
Josie Dikeman, 34, was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide, chronic neglect of a child resulting in death and repeated physical abuse of a child causing death after her boyfriend’s 6-year-old son, Alexavier “AJ” Pedrin, died in February 2023. At the time of his death, AJ had bruises to his face, scalp and neck, internal injuries that included swelling to his brain and a torn liver and Xanax in his bloodstream.
AJ’s father, Derek Pedrin, described his son as “an amazing kid” who loved “Cars” and Lightning McQueen at Dikeman’s sentencing. “I have a deep regret in trusting Josie with my son, and I regret not letting his family see him because you didn’t like them. He never deserved what you did to him,” he said.
“How do you live with yourself?” asked AJ’s mother, Jenah Love, who testified at Friday’s hearing via Zoom. “I hope you experience every bit of pain and maltreatment you caused for my son. … My son’s life was taken by your demonic behavior.”
Dikeman’s son, who testified for the prosecution at her trial, had a statement read on his behalf at the sentencing hearing. “I know it wasn’t my fault, but I still blame myself for not being able to stop it,” he wrote. “She put Alex in a place no kid should ever be. I saw things that broke something inside of me, and you can’t fix that. I want her in jail. I want her far away from me, my family, and every other kid so she doesn’t get to hurt anyone else.”
“What is clear is that she did drug Alexavier intentionally — to quiet his cries, after she mercilessly beat him,” prosecutor Matthew Torbenson said. “How often does this court see a case in which a person could have died two different ways? The only reason Alex didn’t bleed to death is because the Xanax stopped his heart. The only reason the beating didn’t take his life is because the drugs took it first.”
Dikeman testified in her own defense at her trial, emphatically denying that she hurt AJ or any of the children in her care. “I loved Alex with all my heart, just as if he came out of me,” she testified in May. She told the jury that the child’s abuse had been at the hands of his father, and that she had also been a victim of domestic violence. “We have somebody who is a verified monster, who’s just not going to be held accountable,” Dikeman’s attorney, Christopher Zachar, said in court. “He’s been arrested or investigated or suspected repeatedly and has been given a permanent get-out-of-jail-free card. He perjured himself at trial repeatedly without consequence. He admitted to being a drug dealer who very likely brought in the Xanax that killed his son a day or two before his death.” Zachar went on to warn that without an investigation, “it’s going to happen again…and Josie is not going to be responsible to blame for this one.”
Dikeman spoke only briefly at the hearing with a message for her kids: “I love you with all my heart and I will always be here for you.”
Judge Elliott Levine acknowledged the defense’s claims about Pedrin’s responsibility, but said that ultimately the jury had made its decision by finding the defendant guilty. Levine sentenced her to serve 20 years in prison, followed by 12 years of supervision, with credit for 694 days’ time served.
