CINCINNATI — The parents of a 5-month-old who died in December will both spend more than a decade in prison.
Last week, Shakayla Sams and Donte Farrier, both 19, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and endangering children after investigators said they caused the death of their infant son, Casey Sams, and abused their other two-year-old son.
On the morning of December 22, officers responded to the report of an unresponsive infant boy on Sunnyhill Drive in the Villages at Roll Hill. He was rushed to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center where he died five days later on December 27. A court complaint said the infant's injuries had "occurred over the past several months" and the Hamilton County Coroner's Office determined the cause of death to be a traumatic brain injury.
"It was also determined that Casey had suffered a dislocated neck, subdural hemorrhage and a swollen brain," reads a press release from Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters. "Doctors found additional evidence of abuse, including old and new rib fractures, bruising on top of his scalp and scarring on his leg."
Deters said officers also found that the couple's 2-year-old child was severely malnourished with evidence of abuse. The 2-year-old was hospitalized in the intensive care unit. His condition is unknown at this time.
According to juvenile court records, the young parents have a lengthy history with Hamilton County Job and Family Services.
"This was not a case of neglect by parents too young to understand their responsibilities," said Deters in a press release. "This was a case of active violence perpetrated on babies by two people, the same people who should be protecting them."
Sams was sentenced to 14 to 17 years while Farrier was sentenced to 11 to 16 and-a-half years in prison.
READ MORE
Investigation concludes mother killed children, herself in January stabbing in Walton, Ky
Man arrested four months after Bond Hill double homicide
Police: Man charged with murder after 'internally decapitating' woman
Watch Live:
