Staunton man sentenced to 30 years in prison for beating toddler to death
STAUNTON — A man who beat a 2-year-old girl to death in 2022 was sentenced to decades in prison Thursday in Staunton Circuit Court.
Christopher S. Hoover, 25, of Staunton, pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder in the death of Averianna "Averi" May of Hinton. Hoover also pleaded guilty to child abuse. Evidence showed the 2-year-old girl was violently beaten the night of June 17, 2022. She died the following day.
Circuit Judge Anne Reed sentenced Hoover to a 30-year prison term.
In court Thursday for Hoover's sentencing hearing, Dr. Robin Foster, director of the Child Protection Team at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University, testified the toddler had brain bleeding, brain swelling, and multiple impact trauma to her head and body that caused numerous internal and external injuries.
Staunton Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Joseph Perry said Hoover shook Averi so hard that it caused "the neurons in her brain to shear apart."
Perry previously stated that Hoover, who was not the girl's father, was watching Averi and her younger half-sibling, Hoover's child, at his Staunton residence on Vincent Street while Averi's mother was away for a previously planned weekend getaway in Culpeper.
Hoover was supposed to hand the children over to a babysitter after a few hours. However, a panicked Hoover ended up at his mother's Augusta County home shortly after midnight as he carried the limp toddler, leaving his child behind in a crib on Vincent Street. Hoover and his mother both called 911 as Hoover did CPR on the unresponsive toddler, causing her to vomit.
"All he said is she fell off the bed," Donna Hoover said on the stand Thursday.
Christopher Hoover would tell a Staunton police officer the same story, previous evidence showed. But Dr. Foster likened the child's injuries to those one would receive in a high-speed rollover crash, not a short fall from bed.
Hoover told police that after changing Averi's diaper he went to get a juice box for the girl, who was standing on her bed. When he heard a noise, Hoover said he went to investigate and found her on the floor. He claimed he blacked out but didn't recall being angry.
"Obviously, I know I made a mess," Hoover said on the recording.
While investigating, police measured the child's bed and said the top of the mattress was less than three feet from the floor, according to previous testimony.
The unresponsive toddler was taken to Augusta Health in Fishersville before being flown to UVA Health in Charlottesville, where she died the following day while being held by her mother, Perry said.
Kirsten May, the toddler's mother, read from a prepared statement in court Thursday and said she's still struggling with her child's death. "I'd give anything to brush her hair one more time," May said. As she spoke, Hoover, who was part of Averi's life since she was 6 months old, sobbed at the defense table.
But when Hoover was given a chance to address the court moments before his sentence was announced, in a booming, angry tone, he took umbrage at previous remarks by Perry, who noted he saw little remorse from the defendant. "He doesn't know," Hoover said. "He can't look me in the eye and tell me how I feel."
Hoover, who said he is haunted by the child's death, eventually said, "I apologize."
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Reed wondered aloud if Hoover had grasped the magnitude of his actions, and said it seemed he was more focused on the impact the child's death had on him. "It appears to this court that you are very angry about what happened," Reed said.
In a plea deal that was previously agreed upon by Perry and Hoover's defense attorney, Dana Cormier, in exchange for his guilty pleas Perry would not ask for more than 30 years in prison. Reed gave him the max, sentencing him to a total of 40 years with 10 years suspended on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse, leaving Hoover with 30 years to serve.
Afterward, Perry said, "While nothing that happens in court can bring back the life that was lost, or undo the suffering of Averi's family, we believe that the sentence imposed was just. We are grateful for the work of the Staunton Police Department in the case."
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton man sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing toddler
