Man sentenced to prison for murdering his son – child’s mother speaks out

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – A Toledo man has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for kicking his infant son in the head, resulting in the baby's death.

“Be careful who you let look after your children. I entrusted my children to him and I shouldn't have done that,” said Regina Kanavel, the child's mother. “To this day, I regret entrusting my children to this man.”

Kanavel made no secret of how her son's murder changed her life.

Her son's father, Lawrence Lambert, was sentenced to life in prison for killing her five-month-old son, Legend. Lambert will be eligible for parole after 15 years.

The incident occurred in March in an apartment on Walnut Street.

“I'll be 100% honest, he was violent towards me, but I never thought he would be violent towards our children,” Kanavel said. “This is something I never thought would happen until this situation happened. It cost me my life. My life will never be the same again. My children were part of my life.”

Kanavel and Legend's grandmother say they both miss him.

“Whenever he saw me, he just smiled and beamed,” said Jennifer Gentry, Legend’s grandmother.

“I miss everything about my little man,” Kanavel said. “I miss both of my children. I miss his smile, the way he looked at us.”

Kanavel says she lost custody of her other child because Lambert allegedly abused the child.

“I just want mothers to be aware of the situation because I don't want anyone to go through what I went through,” Kanavel said. “I lost my two-year-old daughter to the system because of it. I lost my five-month-old son because of it. I lost both of my children.”

Lucas County has a campaign called “Choose Your Partner Carefully.” More information can be found here.

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