Overview
- Nicholas Stemen, 34, was sentenced on Nov. 17 in Allen County, Ohio, after entering a guilty plea in October 2025.
- A 911 caller reported his vehicle driving erratically with a missing tire before it stopped on Zion Church Rd in American Township and caught fire in September 2024.
- Deputies found Stemen outside the burning SUV and noted the smell of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and an unsteady gait.
- Stemen told responders no one was inside and claimed his daughter was with her grandfather, but firefighters discovered 2-year-old Lillyanna dead in a forward-facing car seat.
- According to the affidavit, Stemen admitted consuming at least 10 beers and said he blacked out; at sentencing, Lillyanna’s mother blamed him in a letter, the defense called the case a tragedy, and Stemen apologized.