Zanesville woman will serve time in prison for strangling a child

ZANESVILLE − Sabrina L. Gary, 52, was recently sentenced to two and a half years in prison for strangling a minor child in her household in December. The incident left “bruising on the neck” and could have killed the child, according to Muskingum County Common Pleas Judge Mark Fleegle’s findings and conclusions document.

Fleegle said medical records and testimony supported an additional specification on the third-degree felony charge of strangulation because medical testimony supported that “holding the neck that way for as short as 10 seconds could cause death."

On Dec. 27, Gary was charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony; endangering children, a third-degree felony; strangulation, a third-degree felony; and endangering children, a first-degree misdemeanor.

A co-defendant in the case, Jeremy Murray Jr., was also originally charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony; endangering children, a third-degree felony; and endangering children, a first-degree misdemeanor. The felonious assault charged was later dismissed. Murray will spend 18 months in prison for his crimes, according to a news release from Muskingum County Prosecutor Ron Welch’s office.

Welch’s release said that on Dec. 27, 2023, Gary visited Muskingum County Adult and Child Protective Services, seeking to surrender custody of one of the minor children in the home. When social workers visited the home on the next day, Gary told the caseworkers that she had beaten the child the previous night, adding “are you going to take her with you now?”

Social workers interviewed the victim, confirming she had been assaulted by both Gary and Murray Jr., according to the release. The child was later seen at the Muskingum County Children's Justice Center and disclosed to a forensic interviewer and nurse that Gary had grabbed her by the throat and pushed her into the wall, and that she felt like she was going to pass out.

Welch said those who abuse children in Muskingum County will face consequences.

“Children deserve to be protected,” Prosecutor Welch said. “The defendants in this case actively abused a child as a means of punishment, and now will have time in prison as a consequence.”

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville woman will serve time in prison for strangling a child