Johnson County woman sentenced to 3 years probation after toddler dies in house fire
The mother of a 17-month old killed in a house fire in Johnson County earlier this year will serve three years of probation, a judge ordered Thursday.
Karlie Mae Phelps, 28, was also sentenced to prison time, but was granted as part of her sentence a “dispositional departure” by Judge Timothy P. McCarthy. This means Phelps will serve her three years probation; however, if she violates the terms of her probation, Phelps could then have to serve her full sentence of 18 years in prison, according to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office.
Phelps pleaded guilty in August to involuntary manslaughter and endangering a child. As part of a plea agreement, her additional charges of intimidation of a witness, violation of a protection order and felony possession of oxycodone in two separate cases were dismissed at sentencing, according to court documents.
Her ex-boyfriend, who is charged with murder after allegedly starting the fire, awaits trial.
At a preliminary hearing in August, a Johnson County judge ordered Nicholas Adam Ecker of Prairie Village, to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated arson and possession of a firearm. Ecker, 29, is the child’s father.
He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 20.
The fatal fire
After two incidents of alleged domestic violence in the months leading up to the fire, Ecker had been prohibited from going to Phelps’ home or contacting her, court records show.
Ten days before the blaze, Ecker confronted Phelps and a man inside her home and threatened both of them, leading investigators to conclude that Ecker showed “high lethality,” according to court records.
Just before 1 a.m. on Feb. 13, a fire was reported inside a home in the 10500 block of West 69th Terrace.
About 20 minutes after firefighters arrived on scene, Ecker showed up too, even though authorities say they had not notified him of the blaze. He told investigators that he had “bad feeling” and rushed over, according to court documents.
Phelps wasn’t home at the time. She later told authorities that she’d left her child at home while she went to buy prescription medication. It was while she was gone that she got a phone call stating her house was on fire. She also told Ecker that the child was in the house, court records show.
Cellphone records show that in the hours before the fire, Ecker apparently went to Phelps’ home looking for her and their child. He confronted her about her whereabouts in a series of messages, threatening to harm himself. Twenty minutes before the fire started, Ecker sent a photo of a Valentine’s Day balloon apparently taken from Phelps’ home, court records show.
In a message just before 1 a.m., Ecker wrote to Phelps that something was “terribly wrong,” court records show.
“Go get junior NOW,” Phelps messaged Ecker back at 1:07 a.m. “HES INSIDE YOU DIMB (sic) ASS I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU STARTED THAT FIRE. YOU KILLED OUR BABY!!! And you could’ve killed me!!!”
Several other people were inside the home at the time, all of whom escaped. The child was the only person who died.
