Man who sexually abused and killed his girlfriend’s young daughter gets life in prison

A New Jersey man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the sexual assault and murder of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter.

Michael Disporto, 30, of Manahawkin, received a life sentence without eligibility for parole for his first-degree murder conviction and a 40-year sentence for his aggravated sexual assault conviction, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said. A jury found him guilty of both crimes last October.

On July 3, 2016, police discovered that toddler Ariana Smyth was unresponsive. She was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where it was determined she suffered serious injuries and was also sexually assaulted, authorities said.

The child died two days later when life support was withdrawn. Medical examiners ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.

Prosecutors alleged that Disporto sexually abused the girl, caused the injuries that led to her death and convinced her mother, Amber Bobo, not to seek medical care for her.

Bobo, of Gloucester City – pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child. and was sentenced to three years in prison in May 2017.

Authorities said Bobo and Disporto picked up the toddler from her father’s home in Cape May County on July 2, 2016, and took her to Bobo’s home on South King Street in Gloucester City. Bobo and Disporto had been together for about two weeks.

Disporto asked to be alone with the child to “get to know her better” and led her out of the house alone twice, prosecutors said. That morning, Bobo discovered that Disporto had moved Ariana and changed her clothes, according to charging documents in the case.

The child also had bruises on her head and genitals, she said, but Disporto denied the cause and convinced Bobo not to take the toddler to the hospital, court documents said.

Bobo admitted at her hearing that they instead made two separate trips to Deptford Mall, where Ariana began vomiting. Bobo called emergency services that evening when Ariana lost consciousness.

Disporto was first charged with murder and sexual assault in 2019, but the jury disagreed and the judge declared the trial invalid.