West Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Murder of 3-Month-Old: 'Nothing Short of Brutal' By Liam Quinn

A West Virginia man pleaded guilty to murder in connection with the 2024 death of a 3-month-old infant.

John Michael Tames pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death on Thursday, Dec. 18, according to a post from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

WCHS, citing court records, previously reported that Tames was babysitting the infant, Everly, when she suffered brain hemorrhaging and skeletal fractures.

Authorities said they were called to Tames’ home after a report that an infant was in cardiac arrest on Jan. 5, 2024, per the outlet.

Everly was taken to a hospital in Morgantown, where she died a month later, according to the outlet.

Tames initially faced child abuse charges in the immediate aftermath, but the charges were upgraded in February following the infant’s death, WTAP and WSAZ reported.

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According to the outlets, Tames had told police that he swung the child back and forth while frustrated but later changed his story to say that the child’s head did hit the floor, possibly hard enough to fracture her skull.

Tames will be sentenced in Jackson County Circuit Court on Feb. 6, 2026, per the sheriff’s department.

He faces 15 years to life in prison, WCHS reported.

Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger told the outlet the abuse “was nothing short of brutal,” adding that he hopes the judge “absolutely hammers him.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.