A former Austin man was sentenced yesterday to 100 years in prison with no chance of parole for the first 25 years. He was earlier convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter.

Jerimie Hicks, 23, graduated from Austin High School in 2006 and now lives in Montana. He was found guilty of the murder, as well as tampering with evidence, in November 2010.

Along with 100 years in prison, Hicks must pay $29,800 in restitution fees to crime victim compensation funds in Montana.

According to court documents, Hicks called 911 on Feb. 26, 2010, seeking medical help for 3-year-old Kaelyn Bray, who was the daughter of his then-girlfriend, Jessica Bray.

Hicks said the child had fallen down the stairs and hit her head on the wall. When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, Bray was barely breathing and had suffered an apparent injury to the head. She also had dried blood coming from her nose, which indicated that Hicks had not called 911 immediately after the incident.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Bray was in critical condition and was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and acute respiratory failure. She died three days later after being pronounced brain dead.

Hicks apparently told Bray’s mother that the girl had fallen down a flight of carpeted stairs and that the family puppy had knocked her down. He also explained a dent in the wall by saying he had thrown the puppy at the wall. However, Hicks had told 911 dispatchers that Bray had struck the wall during her fall.

Great Falls police searched the residence and determined the girl’s head injury was not consistent with a fall down such a gradual staircase.

When police confronted Hicks about the inconsistencies in his story, he admitted that he had been frustrated with Bray because she was fussy, and he said he had shoved her into the wall.

Hicks said Bray did, indeed, fall down the stairs after he shoved her, but he said her injuries were caused by him pushing her.

Hicks, who is a senior airman, was wearing his military boots and pants at the time of the incident. In late August, DNA analysis conducted on those items identified Bray’s DNA in the form of human blood stains and light blonde hairs found on the boots.

In a telephone call dated May 26, Hicks had spoken to his mother saying he thought she had taken his uniform, which he had asked her to remove from the residence after the assault. The phone calls were considered evidence for the charge of tampering with evidence.

Hicks received five years in prison for the tampering with evidence charge; those five years will run concurrent with the 100 year homicide sentence.