FATHER CONVICTED FOR SEVERE PHYSICAL ABUSE TO HIS 3-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
June 13, 2024
Nathan Ginter, 43, was convicted by a Richland County jury on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, of four counts of Unlawful Conduct Towards a Child for the chronic physical abuse of his three-year-old daughter. The Honorable Robert Hood presided over the three-day trial. Since Ginter failed to appear for his trial, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. As a result, his sentence has been sealed by the court until he is arrested on the bench warrant.
Between January 2022 and March 2022, Ginter abused his daughter as a form of punishment which then escalated into torture. He began caning the child by using a bamboo stick, leaving bruises on her body. The torture then became more pronounced over time as he first gave her cold baths and showers in the form of waterboarding. He ultimately used a drive stun gun on her buttocks over the duration of several weeks thus leaving second degree burns. All of these crimes were conducted in front of the child’s nine-year-old sister who was called to testify to the abuse the child had to endure.
This abuse was reported by the victim’s grandfather with the help of his daughter (the child’s aunt). They quickly noticed the burns on her buttocks and called law enforcement. During the investigation, digital forensics were used to extract information from the phones of both the child’s mother’s and the Defendant, resulting in numerous text messages and images documenting the abuse over those three months. There was also video evidence of the waterboarding depicting the Defendant narrating his heinous actions.
The Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, represented by Assistant Solicitors Anna Browder, Gabrielle Sharp, and First Assistant Solicitor Kathryn Cavanaugh prosecuted the case. The investigation was a joint effort between the City of Columbia Police Department, the Town of Lexington Police Department, and the United States Secret Service.
