NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts man convicted of using drain cleaner and prescription painkillers to try to kill his 7-year-old daughter was sentenced Monday to up to 18 years behind bars.

Christopher Conley, 37, of Northampton was sentenced three days after a Hampshire Superior Court jury found him guilty of attempted murder and other charges.

Conley injected Liquid-Plumr into his severely ill daughter’s cecostomy tube, used to help empty the bowels, in April 15, 2015 and then tried to give her an overdose of her opioid pain medications, prosecutors said.

As a result, the girl required a seven-hour surgery to remove more than six feet of her intestines, and another surgery to remove one-third of her bladder, prosecutors said. Her injuries led to lifelong health complications, authorities said.


Conley told police at the time of his arrest he tried to kill the girl because he wanted to end her suffering, but he recanted that when he took the stand at trial. His attorney blamed an undiagnosed medical condition for the girl’s injuries.

The defense sought a 7 1/2-year sentence for Conley.

Because of Conley’s lack of criminal record, he will be allowed to serve his time at the county jail rather than in a state prison.