Eric E. Lehtinen was sentenced to 20 years in prison this afternoon for attempting to kill his 4-year-old son in September 2013 by injecting him with heroin.
The Redmond resident pleaded guilty to the offense of first-degree attempted murder in August 2015. Judge Mary Roberts sentenced Lehtinen, now 39, at the King County Courthouse in Seattle. The case was handled by Senior Deputy Prosecutor Don Raz and Deputy Prosecutor Ben Gauen.
Lehtinen’s son, now 6, was released from Seattle Children’s Hospital in October 2013.
“I have nothing but to live with the consequences of what happened that night,” Lehtinen told the judge via a Kiro7.com live stream. He noted that it’s extremely painful thinking about the incident and he regrets causing pain to his son, ex-wife and family.
“I didn’t want to hurt anybody,” he said. “In my state of mind, from what I remember that night, is extreme terror. I was in a very twisted state, very delusional. I’m sorry.”
Lehtinen said he takes full responsibility for his actions and apologized to his son, ex-wife and family. He also apologized to the court and state for having to deal with such a “horrible thing.”
Lehtinen, who was reported to have mental health issues, said he was a good father up until the incident and added that while he was in jail he wanted to be with his son.
Lehtinen’s ex-wife also spoke at the sentencing and said that she forgives him for trying to hurt their child and not protecting him.
“I want to keep my baby safe,” she said, noting that the boy is doing fine, but he has a long road ahead of him to heal from the incident. He’s had nightmares and many medical appointments over the last two years. Every day, he feels the loss of his father, she said, but her son loves life and finds joy everywhere.
However, the mother noted that her ex-husband broke the bond of father and son and a life he had with both parents together. Judge Roberts noted that Lehtinen can’t contact his son or ex-wife for life.
Redmond Police Department Chief Ron Gibson said: “This was a very difficult case for our department and community. I want to thank the first responders and detectives who worked this case early on. I would also like to thank the prosecutor and other agencies who worked tirelessly together for the last two years to ensure this defendant was held accountable and brought to justice. Our thoughts and hearts are with the mother and son.”
According to an earlier report, Redmond police and fire personnel responded to a house in the 14100 block of Northeast 72nd Street at 11:45 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2013 after receiving a 911 call from the boy’s mother, who had come home to find her husband and their son breathing but unconscious.
Lehtinen’s wife came to the residence after she was unable to reach her estranged husband by phone. She found the two in Lehtinen’s bed apparently asleep, according to King County court documents. Lehtinen had vomit coming out of his mouth and the boy was lying on his back, partially covered by a blanket. When Lehtinen’s wife lifted the blanket, she discovered a syringe — loaded with a dark liquid — on the boy’s chest with the needle pointed toward his neck. Both father and son were unresponsive.
A few hours after Lehtinen and his son were found, a search warrant was served on the residence. According to court documents, seven syringes containing a liquid believed to be illegal drugs were found in the room where Lehtinen and his son were discovered. Three used syringes were also located in the bedroom. Other drug-related evidence found included a burnt spoon with residue, multiple scales, package equipment and alcohol pads. Police also found $12,620 in cash inside the home, according to documents.
Joel Vangel, who has lived in the house next door to Lehtinen’s residence since the 1980s, said Lehtinen mostly kept to himself but he did have a lot of visitors.
“He had a lot of people coming and going over the years,” Vangel said.
A few years ago, he said, the drug-enforcement unit from the Bellevue Police Department came by Lehtinen’s house because they were suspicious of drug activity and wanted to learn the layout of the house in case they needed to raid it.
Vangel said he knew Lehtinen had issues, but not the extent and didn’t see any reason to call the police.
“They weren’t bothering me,” he said, adding that Lehtinen’s son used to play with other children in the neighborhood, as well.
Lehtinen and his wife had been married for nearly six years and were in the process of getting a divorce — which documents state was finalized the day Lehtinen and his son were found unconscious in his home. According to documents, Lehtinen had recently requested his wife delay the finalization of their divorce.
His wife said Lehtinen had been a heroin and ketamine user in the past but had told her he had stopped. Due to his past, Lehtinen’s wife insisted that part of the divorce and child custody visitation agreement was that he submit to drug testing to ensure their son’s safety, documents state.
Until Sept. 15, 2013, Lehtinen’s wife and son were living in San Francisco. She returned to Washington with the boy for a job interview and allowed their son to stay with Lehtinen on the evening of Sept. 23, 2013. At that time, documents state that Lehtinen’s wife thought he was depressed “but she did not see any reason to remove (their son) from (Lehtinen’s) care.”