Parents’ drinking night ended in tragedy: Couple engaged in heavy drinking and mariјuаnа use and fell asleep with their 6-month-old daughter between them before the father shifted on the couch and smothered their daughter; charged!
A couple has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after their alcohol-infused evening resulted in the suffocation of their six-month-old infant. The parents, the 29-year-old woman, later identified as Ladesha, and the 40-year-old man, later identified as Jose, face severe legal repercussions following the tragic event that unfolded in their home.
On a fateful night last December, the couple reportedly engaged in heavy drinking and mariјuana use, which led to the unfortunate death of their child, Faith. According to the police, Ladesha admitted to consuming five beers to the point of being “very, very wasted,” while Jose consumed between nine and ten 25-ounce beers. The couple’s impaired state contributed to a series of events that ended tragically.
Authorities detailed that surveillance footage from the family’s living room captured the chilling moments leading up to the infant’s death. The video showed Ladesha holding Faith, who then slipped from her arms and became wedged between Jose and a couch cushion. It appears Jose, in his inebriated state, inadvertently shifted on the couch, smothering the child without realizing it. The distressing footage captured some crying from Faith before she eventually stopped moving. Ladesha, upon waking, searched for her daughter briefly but, failing to find her, returned to bed. It was only later that Jose awoke and discovered the infant’s lifeless body behind the cushion. Unfortunately, by the time the first responders arrived, it was too late.
The couple was arrested and formally charged last month with homicide involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse in the second degree. The court has set a bond of $100,000 cash/surety for each defendant. Ladesha has already been arraigned and is scheduled for a probable cause conference this week, while Jose’s hearing will follow on April 23. The local medical examiner confirmed that the cause of Faith’s death was asphyxiation. The prosecutor in the case expressed his dismay upon reviewing the living room footage, describing it as “horrific” and something “no one should have to watch.” As the legal process unfolds, the couple faces up to 15 years in prison each if convicted.
