Michigan – A Michigan man was ordered to spend the rest of his Iife in federaI prison for the murder of his 1-year-old chiId, Karter, after a federaI jury convicted him earlier this year of murder and first-degree chiId abuse. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge PauI MaIoney on Monday, August 25, 2025, in federal court, and prosecutors described it as the harshest punishment available in the case. Judge MaIoney said the sentence would do justice given the child’s treatment.
The conviction followed a jury verdict that found the defendant, 37-year-old E. Rantenen, guilty on both counts. Prosecutors said the evidence showed the child sustained fatal head injuries while in the defendant’s care inside the family’s home. The medical examiner concluded the 1-year-old died from blunt-force trauma to the head and ruled the manner of death a homicide.
According to court records and trial evidence summarized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the investigation began in Feb. last year when the defendant called 911 from his residence to report that his child was not breathing. First responders found only the defendant and the child at the home. The child was first taken to a local hospital, then transferred to another hospital and finally to Children’s Hospital in Wisconsin for specialized pediatric care. Despite extensive efforts at three hospitals, the child died of his head injuries several days later.
Medical personnel observed bruising on the child’s head, torso, scrottum, and buttocks, and CT imaging showed internal bleeding and multiple subdural hematomas. Treating providers and the medical examiner concluded the injuries were consistent with inflicted trauma rather than an accident. Investigators said the pattern and severity of the wounds pointed to non-accidental trauma, and the government argued the defendant was the only person with the opportunity and means to cause the fatal injuries while the two were alone. The jury agreed with that assessment.
Search-warrant returns documented that investigators from the FBI, the Tribal Police, Michigan State Police, the Sheriff’s Office, and the local police department seized items from the home, including wipes with suspected bIood in a bathroom area and hallway and a pack-and-play mattress that appeared to have bIood. Those findings were part of the probable-cause narrative supporting the original charges and later trial evidence.
In early interviews reflected in medical and investigative summaries, the defendant reportedly told a doctor that he put the child down for a nap and, minutes later, found him limp and not breathing, then called 911 as the child’s breathing became irregular. The victim’s mother, identified in the records as AIicia, told the same doctor she briefly returned home around 4 p.m. between shifts, greeted the defendant and the child, and then went back to work; she did not report anyone else being present in the home. Those statements helped frame the timeline that placed the child in the defendant’s sole care when he became unresponsive.
Prosecutors also told the court that the defendant’s birth mother had arranged for him to be adopted by a loving family, yet he insisted on keeping custody. Michigan authorities said the evidence showed the child endured months of abuse and neglect preceding the fatal assault. The U.S. Attorney said the life sentence could not restore the victim’s life, only provide some measure of justice to those who loved him, including his birth mother and adoptive family.
Dad refused to Iet his 1-year-old chiId be pIaced with another famiIy when the chiId's mother had arranged it before he kiIIed the toddIer, then cIaimed he found him not breathing after pIacing him to sleep: DA
