Warwick Man Sentenced Following Death Of 7-Month-Old Baby

WARWICK, RI — A Warwick man was sentenced to 25 years in prison with 10 to serve in connection with the death of his seven-month-old daughter. Ryan Beeley, 40, pleaded nolo contendre to the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

As part of his conviction, Beeley is also required to received both mental health an substance abuse treatment, as well as regular drug and alcohol screenings. While he was sentenced to 25 years, the state recommended 30 years with 20 to serve.

The charge stemmed from a 2017 incident that led to the death of his infant daughter. According to Attorney General Peter Neronha's Office, Beeley's girlfriend left him home alone with the baby on the evening on Feb. 21 at their home on Airway Road in Warwick. At the time, Beleley was under the influence of drugs, later determined to be fentanyl, clonazepam, cocaine and methadone. When his girlfriend came home, Beeley was unconscious on top of the infant, who died of asphyxiation.

"The defendant, through egregious carelessness, caused the death of a child who had her whole life ahead of her," Neronha said. "All that she could have hoped to have been, all the joys that she could have experienced and given to others, have been irretrievably lost. The defendant has been held accountable for his conduct and deservedly so. But nothing will bring this child back, and that is a tragedy."