The 24-year-old mother charged with murder in the death of her 16-month-old daughter pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to five years in prison, according to the Cherokee County District Attorney.
Jamie Beck pleaded guilty to cruelty to children in the second degree and giving false statements to police for the 2012 death of her daughter, DA Shannon Wallace said. Beck was sentenced to 15 years, including five to serve in prison.
Beck and her boyfriend, Michael Naples, were arrested in September 2013 following an 11-month investigation into the death of Kaylee Rayne Johnson, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution previously reported.
"While entering her plea, Ms. Beck continued to maintain that she did not see Mr. Naples hurt her child on the date of the murder or at any other time," Wallace told the Cherokee Tribune. "However, she admitted that the child was repeatedly injured over a three-month period while in the custody and care of Mr. Naples. Ms. Beck also admitted she confronted Mr. Naples about these injuries but still allowed Mr. Naples to care for her child."
On Oct. 14, 2012, Cherokee County deputies were called to a home near Woodstock on a report of an injured child. Beck told deputies she awoke in the middle of the night to get some water and found the basement door open and little Kaylee lying at the bottom of the stairs, Lt. Jay Baker said at the time of the arrests.
The girl was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where she died days later, authorities said. The GBI Crime Lab determined that Kaylee’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head, calling it a homicide, Baker said.
“It was determined that the injuries were not indicative of a child falling down stairs,” he said.
Naples’ trial is scheduled for January.
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