A Duluth man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 beating death of a 2-year-old he was babysitting in Gwinnett County.
Mallik Kyhree Kennedy, 27, was convicted Thursday — on the anniversary of the killing — of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated battery and first-degree cruelty to children for the death of Trinity Kyles, the district attorney’s office announced. She would have turned 5 last month.
“We continue to grieve with Trinity’s family for this senseless loss,” Gwinnett DA Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a statement. “Although this verdict and sentencing cannot replace this little girl’s future or quell her family’s pain, our hope is that it brings them justice and provides them with some solace.”
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
In May 2021, Trinity’s mother asked Kennedy, her then-boyfriend, to watch the toddler while she went to work, officials previously said. When she returned, she found her daughter unresponsive. Kennedy initially told her that he’d given the child a melatonin to help her sleep, according to investigators.
However, when the mother found bruises on the girl, she pressed Kennedy for answers, and he confessed that he “pinched the toddler on the cheeks for misbehaving,” officials said.
“The fire department attempted to revive the child but (was) unsuccessful,” Gwinnett police said at the time. “The child had several bruises on the cheeks with finger and fingernail impressions, a swollen eye, swollen forehead and bruises on the body.”
An autopsy determined the child suffered an injury to the back of her head.
At trial last week, evidence showed that Kennedy had slammed Trinity’s head against a headboard in a hotel room where they had been staying, and she eventually lost consciousness, according to the prosecution. When the toddler awoke two hours later, Kennedy shook her until she again lost consciousness.
“He watched as Trinity appeared to have a seizure and wiped blood away from her mouth, then drank alcohol, smoked marijuana, played video games and watched social media without ever calling her mother or seeking medical emergency aid,” prosecutors said.
The jury deliberated Wednesday afternoon and most of the day Thursday before finding Kennedy guilty. He was sentenced Friday to life without the possibility of parole.
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