PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia woman received the maximum sentence Tuesday in the child abuse death of a 4-year-old girl in 2019.
Samiya Brown had pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child and possession of an instrument in a crime. Her sentencing hearing detailed a litany of injuries on every part of Zya Singleton’s body.
Brown was caring for Singleton through an informal agreement through a notarized letter with the child’s mother, Jasmine Singleton. She had not seen her daughter in two years.
In October 2019, Brown called police saying the child had fallen out of a window. When the hospital called Jasmine Singleton, she thought she might get her daughter back.
“When I got there, what I saw, it was unexplainable,” Zya’s mother said. “She didn’t have a face.”
Related
Assistant Medical Examiner Julia de la Garza testified that the autopsy showed bruises, lacerations, bite marks and other contusions.
The cause of death was sepsis from an untreated head wound, but officials described burn scars with a pattern on them from improper treatment, and home-sewn stitches on a gaping facial wound.
In seeking the maximum sentence, Assistant District Attorney Chesley Lightsey argued that in each instance, Brown made a choice not to seek care for the child.
Brown’s defense attorney asked for leniency, arguing Brown was herself abused as a child and is trying to become a better person.
But Judge Lillian Ransom said she wanted to limit the possibility that Brown, 40, would ever have access to other children, and sentenced her to 30 to 60 years in prison.
Related
Jasmine Singleton left the courtroom in anger when Brown offered an apology.
“Nothing about the words ‘I’m sorry’ that were coming out of her mouth was sincere,” the mother said.
“I trusted her with my kid, and there’s no logic for what you can do to a 4-year-old. It’s hard and it hurts every day.”
Related podcast
