Southwest Greensburg father pleads guilty to charges related to infant's death

A Southwest Greensburg man will serve 10 years on probation for his role in the 2023 death of his 8-month-old son.

Jason Frederick Ludwig, 40, pleaded guilty Monday to a felony count of child endangerment and misdemeanor charges of obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. Police said he attempted to cover up the child’s death.

Prosecutors say Ludwig was left to watch his three children at their Mt. Pleasant Township home on July 20, 2023, and fell asleep on a couch with the infant. He awoke hours later to find the baby dead, then rearranged the scene to make it seem as if the child had died while sleeping in his crib.

As part of the plea deal, one misdemeanor charge of concealing the death of a child was dismissed.

Ludwig, who has been free on a $10,000 unsecured bond, briefly spoke during Monday’s court hearing only to tell the judge that it was in his best interest to plead guilty.

According to court records, Ludwig initially told police he put the boy in his crib between 8:30 and 9 p.m. and awoke about five hours later when the baby’s breathing monitor sounded an alarm. He told police he took off the child’s clean pajamas and gave him CPR.

Contradictory evidence later surfaced including statements from the baby’s mother about her efforts to contact her husband earlier that night, and that she later found dirty pajamas near the child’s crib and told police about statements she said Ludwig made to her about falling asleep with the child.

When confronted by those discrepancies, Ludwig told investigators he awoke to find the baby dead, changed its soiled diaper, placed him in the crib, activated a breathing monitor and called 911, according to court records.

Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said the child’s mother had signed off on the plea deal.

“The victim’s mother is in agreement. We discussed with her the possibility of jail time but it was her request for the sake of their other children that they don’t endure a father in jail,” Lazar said.

According court records, Ludwig’s wife had filed for divorce two months before their child’s death. The divorce was granted in September 2023, according to court records.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ordered Ludwig serve the full probation term, which also includes 18 months of house arrest. Ludwig will be permitted to have contact with his surviving children if approved by a family court judge. He will also be required to participate in parenting classes, the judge said.

“This is a real tragic situation,” Krieger said. “Because the grieving mother thinks this is in the best interest of her children, I will accept this plea.”