Man, who regularly whooped his girlfriend’s nearly 2-year-old daughter for misbehaving and claimed “he didn’t do anything and it wasn’t his fault” when she fell unconscious before dying, will plead guilty
Indiana – In a harrowing case that has shocked Indiana and reached national headlines, a 27-year-old man, identified as R. Waters, has agreed to plead guilty in connection with the death of his girlfriend’s nearly 2-year-old daughter, whose battered body was discovered hidden inside a closet at an abandoned home months after she was reported missing.
Waters signed a plea agreement on May 22 admitting guilt to one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and two additional counts of neglect of a dependent, weeks after his girlfriend, identified as M. Marshall, agreed to testify against him as part of her plea agreement. The charges stem from the January 2023 death of young Oaklee, a child described by loved ones as joyful and bright. Waters had originally faced multiple charges, including murder and battery of a person under 14, but those will be dropped under the terms of the plea. On June 13, a judge will sentence Waters to 45 years behind bars, the maximum for the counts he pleaded guilty to, with the sentences to run consecutively.
Oaklee disappeared in January 2023, after Waters and her mother, Marshall, took the child and her baby brother from their Oklahoma home without the father’s consent. Authorities later determined the group had traveled to Indiana and was staying with Waters’ mother. While Oaklee’s 7-month-old brother was eventually found abandoned in a suspected drug house, Oaklee was missing for months. Waters was arrested in March 2023 at a hotel in Colorado on an Oklahoma warrant. Investigators soon discovered through interviews and digital evidence that he had been physically abusive to Oaklee during her final days.
According to police records and a probable cause affidavit, Marshall told investigators that Waters would regularly “whoop” Oaklee as punishment for typical toddler misbehaviors. She said he would also become aggressive when the child didn’t eat fast enough and, at times, even “choked her out.” Marshall stated that on February 9, 2023, she overheard Waters yelling at Oaklee to bounce on an inflatable toy. After repeated yelling, she walked in and saw him standing over the child, who was struggling to obey. Moments later, Waters screamed. Marshall ran back in to find Oaklee limp in his arms, with blood-tinged spittle coming from her mouth and no signs of consciousness. She said Waters repeatedly insisted “he didn’t do anything” and that “it wasn’t his fault.”
Despite Oaklee’s worsening condition — her lips turning blue, her breath growing shallow, and her heartbeat fading — Waters reportedly refused to let Marshall call for help. Instead, they wrapped Oaklee’s body in a blanket and left her in the car. When they later checked on her, she was unresponsive, her body cold and her eyes still. Under intense questioning and after months in custody, Marshall led investigators in April 2023 to an abandoned house in Indiana. There, authorities discovered Oaklee’s body stuffed inside a closet. Her left leg was broken so severely it bent over her chest. The county coroner later determined that Oaklee died from a “homicide of unspecified means.” She had clearly suffered prolonged abuse before her death.
Waters’ plea means he will now spend at least 45 years in prison. The judge has discretion to impose additional terms at the formal sentencing in June. Meanwhile, Marshall, who was also charged in connection to Oaklee’s death, entered a guilty plea to two charges: neglect of a dependent resulting in death and neglect of a dependent. Prosecutors revealed that Marshall not only knew about her boyfriend’s violent treatment of Oaklee, but also actively assisted him after the child’s brutal death. Her sentencing will also take place on June 13. This heartbreaking case has left a community mourning a life lost far too soon. Prosecutors hope that this resolution will bring some measure of justice for Oaklee and underscore their commitment to protecting vulnerable children from abuse.
