Two parents from Florida have been sentenced to over a decade in prison after their 11-month-old daughter, who had gone days without food, died weighing just 13 pounds.
Lake County Judge Cary F. Rada handed down a 13-year prison sentence to 27-year-old Margaret Elizabeth Lehman, while 30-year-old Mark Edward Brittian Jr. received 13 years and three months. The Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office confirmed their guilty plea to aggravated manslaughter in the death of Marcelyn Brittian.
“This is disgusting, the most vulnerable of our society has been victimized by the most evil. At least in prison, they’ll both receive food, unlike their innocent child,” State Attorney Bill Gladson said in a statement.
According to an arrest affidavit, Leesburg police responded to a call about an unresponsive infant around 3:30 a.m. on September 2, 2021. Paramedics rushed Marcelyn to a hospital just two blocks away, but doctors pronounced her dead shortly after arrival.
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An officer who accompanied the child to the hospital observed that she was “covered in dirt and dried feces.” Her hands and feet were so filthy they were unrecognizable. Police also noted severe bruising on her lower back and buttocks, sores on her upper thighs, and sunken eyes and abdomen. At 13 pounds, she was deemed “extremely underweight and underdeveloped” for her age.
Authorities found the family’s home in appalling condition. Officers reported an overwhelming stench of garbage and rotting food, comparing it to a hoarder’s residence. Marcelyn’s playpen had no bedding.
During questioning, Lehman and Brittian claimed Marcelyn was “happy and healthy.” They said she had a fever and little appetite in the days before her death. However, an autopsy revealed she had not eaten for two to three days. Lehman also stated that Brittian “rarely” assisted with feeding or diaper changes. He later tested positive for cocaine.
Another child in the home was placed in the care of relatives.
Reference: Parents of 11-month-old who died after not being fed for days receive fate
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