WHITE PLAINS – The father of a six-month-old
girl who died two years ago pled guilty in Westchester County Court on
Monday to felony manslaughter.
The baby, Natalia, was found not breathing and with no pulse when medical
personnel arrived at their Yonkers residence on March 14, 2013.
An autopsy determined the child had suffered from several injuries consistent
with both old and new trauma to the child’s head.
The father, Clarence Thomas, 33, gave varying accounts of how the child
could have sustained the injuries when he was questioned by police.
When sentenced next month, Thomas faces up to 15 years in state prison.
The baby’s mother, Kayan Johns, 33, of the Bronx, pled guilty in
September 2014 to misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child and was
sentenced to time in Westchester County Jail.
“These parents, the father by his reckless actions and the mother
by her denial of any abuse, tragically led to the death of their six-month-old
daughter,” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore.
