Lincoln County, OR. — On October 28, 2025, Presiding Judge Sheryl Bachart sentenced 27-year-old Emerson Cromwell to life in prison for causing the death of his 15-month-old daughter. Cromwell was convicted by a Lincoln County jury on September 26, 2025, of Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, and Manslaughter in the First Degree following a nearly month-long trial.
The case stemmed from an August 9, 2022, incident in Lincoln City when Cromwell called 911 to report his daughter was unconscious and non-responsive. The child was taken to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, where doctors discovered a brain bleed. She was flown to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland and died the following morning. The State Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be homicide resulting from blunt force trauma to the head.
Investigators learned Cromwell was the only person with the child before she became unresponsive. Although he claimed to have shaken her once in an attempt to revive her, evidence showed a pattern of ongoing abuse. Text messages revealed Cromwell had grown frustrated while feeding the child earlier that day, shortly before contacting the child’s mother to report that something was wrong.
At trial, prosecutors presented testimony from medical experts who concluded the child’s fatal brain injury could only be explained by physical abuse. Evidence also showed that Cromwell had begun physically disciplining his daughter as early as five months old, often leaving visible bruises.
Judge Bachart imposed a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years, calling the child’s death “violent and horrible” and noting Cromwell’s inability to safely parent.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Tobias Tingleaf and Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Thornicroft. The Lincoln County Major Crime Team, including the Lincoln City Police Department, Newport Police Department, Toledo Police Department, Oregon State Police, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, conducted the investigation.
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