Posted on 04/18/2024 2:31:08 AM PDT by Morgana
An Indianapolis mother has been found not guilty of neglectfully smothering her child to death - as a judge shockingly said he would have found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter or reckless homicide.
Dacia Lacey, 32, walked free after a judge ruled that prosecutors brought inappropriate charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, contending they didn't prove she killed her two-month-old daughter Alona on purpose.
The mother admitted to police that she smothered the infant with couch cushions while she was high on methamphetamines so she could 'get some sleep' in August 2022.
She wept in court this week as Judge Mark Stoner said he was freeing her 'reluctantly', insisting she was 'not innocent', but also 'not guilty of what the state has charged you with.'
The case was a bench trial, meaning it was only decided by a single judge instead of a jury.
When Lacey was initially questioned over her daughter's death, she told officers that it was a freak accident caused by her children playing with the baby on a couch.
However, five months later, she admitted to smothering her child with couch cushions because she wouldn't stop crying when she faced another interrogation.
At her trial, the court heard a recording of the 911 call she made after her the death, where she was heard screaming and crying at a dispatcher.
'Oh my god! Oh my God! My baby is dead! My newborn baby is dead!' she said in the recording.
By the time emergency services arrived at her home, the infant was already dead, reports WTHR. A toxicology report found the mother had meth in her system at the time.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I agree. Jesus warned us of it.
Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
To me, the judge is playing God.
God can forgive, and Jesus says to forgive our enemies, but we STILL have to have laws and accountability in society, for it to be civilized.
We still have rules to live by, and if they are broken there should be consequences.
The judge is wrong.
Memo to judge: Neglect by itself does not require intent. Intentionally using “neglect” to kill a helpless person is first degree murder.
Minimum sentence should include having to look at photo of her child for one hour three times a day (morning, noon and night), read Psalm 139 once per day, have tubes tied.
Sounds reasonable.
......I was prescribed Vicodin; after one pill, I could not possibly focus on my 3-year old...
I cannot imagine her taking meth with an infant AND other young children.........
Thanks for the realtime report.
“Judge” Mark Stoner - he is a multi time repeat offender in being soft on violent criminals. Really praying he is voted out soon!
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