Robert Rivet has been sentenced to five years in prison for the death of his one-month old daughter, Skyla Rivet.
Rivet entered the Stratford courtroom Friday afternoon and nodded "Howdy" to a small, seated audience. He quietly and quickly addressed the crowd before hearing from judge
The judge recounted testimony from Skyla's mother and Rivet's former common law partner, Amanda Buck, recalling the night in January of 2010. The baby was crying, and the couple took turns trying to calm her. Rivet was the last person to be with her alone before she started gasping for air.
Skyla later died of injuries stemming from blunt force trauma to the head.
Prior to sentencing, the judge addressed the court and explained that if Rivet had admitted to the crime and showed remorse, it would have been a "significant mitigating factor" in sentencing.
Rivet was charged with second degree murder and pleaded not guilty. He was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter in December of last year. He now will serve a five-year term, and must submit a DNA sample.
