B.G. man sentenced for murder in 2023

A Bowling Green man has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murder in 2023 of a woman and her unborn child.
Wood County prosecutor Paul Dobson announced last week that Jimmy David Cole, 30, received the sentence for the death of Alicia Rosa, 23, and her son Amor.
Dobson said the penalty for murder in Ohio is a life term with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Because Cole will be serving the terms consecutively, he will have to serve 30 years before he has an opportunity for parole. Cole pled guilty to other charges and they were merged into the two murder counts.
The charges stem from a March 30, 2023 incident in Bowling Green where Rosa died as a result of four stab wounds. The baby died as a result of the death of his mother, Dobson said.
The attorney for Cole argued at the sentencing hearing that the two murder charges should be merged into one because there was no evidence the baby was viable by legal standards at the time of his death. The prosecution argued that viability wasn’t necessary to be proven under the murder statute and the evidence showed the infant was 20-21 weeks old and was alive and healthy at the time of the stabbing.
Wood County Common Pleas Court Judge Joel Kuhlman agreed with the prosecution and imposed the two separate charges.
Dobson also recommended the sentences should run consecutively.
“We are pleased that the court rejected the arguments of the defense that Baby Amor was not a separate life,” Dobson said. “This offense was horrific and the fact that Alicia’s parents had to find her in that state is unimaginable.”
Alicia’s mother and sisters read statements at the sentencing hearing and Dobson read a statement on behalf of her father.