OSGOOD, INDIANA | COURTS | November 2, 2026
Quick Take
- Nickalas Kedrowitz was 13 when he smothered his half-sister and stepbrother in 2017, less than three months apart.
- A Ripley County jury convicted him of two murder counts in August 2021 after he was tried as an adult.
- A viral courtroom clip of his 100-year sentence has restarted the debate over trying young children as adults.
What’s happening?
A courtroom video showing Nickalas Kedrowitz breaking down as he hears his sentence is spreading fast on social media. Many viewers are asking whether a 13-year-old should ever face adult punishment.
The case is not new. A Ripley County judge sentenced Kedrowitz on February 1, 2022, to 50 years for each child, with the terms running back to back for a total of 100 years. Prosecutor Ric Hertel had recommended that sentence.
Where and when?
Both deaths happened at the family home on Maple Street in Osgood, a small town about 60 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
On May 1, 2017, his 23-month-old half-sister Desiree McCartney was found unresponsive. She died at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on May 6. His 11-month-old stepbrother Nathaniel Ritz was found unresponsive on July 20 and died early on July 21. The coroner ruled both deaths suffocation by smothering.
By the Numbers
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Age at time of deaths | 13 |
| Days between the two deaths | 81 |
| Sentence per count | 50 years |
| Total sentence | 100 years |
How did investigators link him to the deaths?
Suspicion grew in September 2017, when relatives said he took their kitten to the basement and hurt it. A great-aunt told investigators he had a temper and was self-centered.
Kedrowitz was arrested in August 2018. According to court documents, he told detectives he put a towel over Desiree’s head and a blanket over Nathaniel’s head. He said he was freeing them from hell and did not want them to live in the hell he lived in.
Why was he tried as an adult?
Indiana law allows children as young as 12 to be tried as adults for murder. In August 2019, the case moved from juvenile court to Ripley Circuit Court.
Judge Ryan King noted that the juvenile system could hold Kedrowitz for only about five years. He called that too short for the long-term supervision the boy needed. Doctors were split on his competency, but the judge ruled he could stand trial. The defense argued he had untreated mental health problems.
After a five-day trial, the jury deliberated more than six hours before returning guilty verdicts in August 2021. Each count carried a possible range of 45 to 65 years.
What comes next?
Kedrowitz, who was 17 at sentencing, remains in Indiana’s prison system. Because he was a juvenile at the time of the crimes, he was never eligible for the death penalty.
The viral clip has turned an old case into a fresh national conversation. Supporters of the sentence point to two separate deaths months apart. Critics say a child that young should get treatment instead of a lifetime behind bars.
Have a question about what’s changing in your neighborhood? Send it to Nash News at nash-news.com and we may answer it in our next report.
