MONTICELLO – The parents of 16-month-old Akasha Luvert have been indicted by a Sullivan County grand jury in her death from fentanyl that she was exposed to by them at the Knight’s Inn motel in Liberty where the family was staying in early May.
Acting District Attorney Brian Conaty announced on Thursday that Akasha’s mother, 26-year-old Lisa Keitt, and father, 41-year-old Jimmy Luvert, are both charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Another of their young children was also injured but recovering.
Conaty’s investigation found that the children were under the supervision of the county’s Child Protective Services, but he said that unit and the county attorney dropped the ball.
“I learned that CPS never questioned the removal of these children on three separate occasions and when CPS brought these concerns to their legal branch, the county attorney’s office, the county attorney himself, Mike Maguire, refused to institute removal proceedings as requested,” he said. “It was further learned under his regime he created a culture of widespread apathy that has discouraged the workers from bringing forth appropriate requests to remove children.”
Two other people have been charged in connection with Akasha’s death. Jacob McCoy, 49, was charged with drug possession for selling Jimmie Luvert the fentanyl that caused the child’s death. He has three prior felony convictions and 10 prior misdemeanor convictions.
Also charged was Lisa Fedrico, 54, Akasha’s biological grandmother. She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child for smoking crack cocaine in the victim’s presence shortly before her death. She has five prior misdemeanor convictions.
The DA announced the implementation of the “Fentanyl Five” policy where his prosecutors would seek a minimum of five years in prison for those arrested for selling fentanyl in Sullivan County.
