320-Lb Florida Woman Gets Life in Prison after Smothering 9-Year-Old Girl to Death

A 66-year-old woman was sentenced to life imprisonment after she sat on a 9-year-old girl and smothered her to death. The parents of the young girl have also been charged for contributing to the crime.

A woman from Pensacola, Florida was convicted to life in prison after she smothered her cousin’s daughter to death by sitting on the child.

THE ACCUSED

Veronica Green Posey was found guilty of first-degree murder on Friday following a 2017 incident involving 9-year-old Dericka Lindsay’s death.

Posey was the cousin of Dericka’s adoptive parent, Grace Smith who lived next door to her. Grace and her husband, James Smith were also discovered to be at fault. They would reportedly beat up Dericka and her 8-year-old sister when they misbehaved.

Despite the child screaming saying she couldn’t breathe, she continued to sit on her for five minutes as the girl was dying of suffocation and lack of oxygen.

THE SMOTHERING INCIDENT

On the day of the incident on October 14, 2017 a dosed off Posey got a call from Grace saying her kids were acting up and that she needed help to restrain them.

The 66-year-old took a ruler and a pipe with her to the Smiths’ home determined to beat the children. When she got there, she assisted Grace in whipping Dericka who struggled as she was forced to kneel with her chest on the seat of a chair. At that moment, Posey, who weighed 325 pounds, decided to sit on Derricka’s back to keep her from struggling. Despite the child screaming saying she couldn’t breathe, she continued to sit on her for five minutes as the girl was dying of suffocation and lack of oxygen.

Upon learning Derricka wasn’t breathing, Posey called 911 but it was too late. An autopsy report revealed heavy bruising and swelling on the brain.

POSEY'S DEFENSE

During her trial, Posey’s lawyer defended her by saying she had no intention of killing Derick and was only trying to help the Smiths. However, jurors agreed she was guilty of murder and the judge sentenced her to life.

THE FATE OF DERRICKA'S PARENTS

The Smiths also face prison time for their role in the abuse and death of Derricka. There were signs of repeated battery on the child’s buttocks in the autopsy. James was sentenced to 10 years while Grace will still have to face her charges since she’s currently suffering from mental and physical illnesses.

OTHER CASES OF PARENTS HURTING THEIR CHILDREN

It is unfortunate that children end up being hurt by the people who are supposed to take care of them.

In 2015, a woman smothered her child in the bathroom of a New York City restaurant. The child was barely two years old. Authorities described the woman as soulless after a witness said she admitted to putting her hand over the mouth of her son to put him to sleep.

Meanwhile, a father who just wanted to get some sleep smothered his baby and later tried to revive the infant by shocking him with a live extension cord. He was charged with capital murder.

In India, a man almost killed his six-year-old son due to a drunken rage. The young boy was recovered by authorities after seven days of starvation and torture courtesy of his father. The case is one example of many reported in India. According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, 53% of children are subjected to sexual abuse in the country.

In the United States, a report in 2017 stated that an estimated 674,000 children were victims of maltreatment. These children were either neglected or abused physically or sexually. 1,720 of them died as a result.