Man entered a guilty plea in the killing of his 7-year-old grandson

Franklin County, Virginia – In the killing of his 7-year-old grandson in Rocky Mount, a Franklin County father has pled guilty to second-degree murder, according to court documents.
John Ebel is now being held at the Western Virginia Regional Jail and is set to be sentenced on April 28th.
A week after being transferred to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries first reported as a result of a fall, the youngster passed away just two days after arriving. According to court filings, Ebel admitted to investigators that he had struck the youngster in the face with his hand, but that he did not seek medical help for the boy right afterwards.
An autopsy found that the victim died from blunt force trauma to the head. The death was ruled to be a homicide after that.
According to the Franklin County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, the allegations of child abuse were dismissed as part of the plea agreement with the prosecution.