Albany, N.Y. (WNYT) – Anthony Ojeda of Cohoes was sentenced to 20 years in prison: the maximum.

“This case is one that will stay with me throughout my entire career and beyond that, it is one of those cases that will never leave you,” said Assistant District Attorney Caroline Murray.

Ojeda pleaded guilty to manslaughter last year.

Six-week-old Baby Eli died in 2019.

Ojeda, his guardian, put a pacifier into a bag of methamphetamine.

“And God only knows why, and I can only ascribe absolute evil to it, the defendant did then intentionally and knowingly put the pacifier in the baby’s mouth,” said Judge Roger McDonough. “He didn’t call 911. And when emergency services did arrive as a result and a product of others’ actions in notifying them, he didn’t explain to those emergency responders what he had done which may have saved Baby Eli’s life.”

A weepy Ojeda spoke through an interpreter.

“I apologize to everybody,” he said. “You have no idea, I have a lot of remorse for everything that has happened. God bless the United States of America. Thank you.”

Ojeda and his husband Neil Garzon launched an international manhunt when they took off.

Ojeda was one of the U.S. Marshals most wanted fugitives in the country.

They were captured in Mexico after years on the run.

Baby Eli was robbed of his future.

“The one thing that I keep thinking about is that Eli would have been in kindergarten. He would have been just over five years old,” said Assistant District Attorney Ariel Fallon.

There were also current and former investigators, a nurse, a U.S. Marshal in court, always present throughout this long case to fight for Baby Eli.

“I couldn’t be more pleased that the judge agreed to do the maximum sentence in this case,” said Cohoes Police Chief Todd Waldin. “That was absolutely what was deserved. But it was mixed feelings because it was troubling and I heard for the first time his admissions of what he had done to this six-week-old child.”

“For us as a department and me personally, I’m glad to see closure for this case,” said Cohoes Detective Robert Piazza.

Neil Garzon is expected to be sentenced for child endangerment and attempted hindering prosecution later this month.