DETROIT — A 41-year-old Flint, Mich., woman accused of
starving her 9-year-old quadriplegic niece to death, then hiding the girl’s
body in a rented storage unit for weeks, pleaded no contest Friday under a plea
agreement to avoid a trial, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said.
Lorrie Thomas pleaded no contest to involuntary
manslaughter—which carries a maximum 15-year sentence — and four other felony
counts: tampering with evidence, second-degree child abuse and two counts of
welfare fraud.
A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is
treated as a conviction for sentencing purposes.
Thomas was to go to trial Tuesday on a second-degree murder
charge in the death of adopted daughter Shylae Thomas, who had been dead
several weeks before her body was discovered in late April.
“It’s been a terribly traumatic case, and the relief
for us is knowing that we’ve accomplished justice for Shylae,” Leyton told
the Detroit Free Press. “We are going to ask the judge to sentence her to
the maximum penalty.”
Thomas’ lawyer, Mark Clement, said he expects the sentence
to be between 3 1/2 and 7 years, based on state sentencing guidelines.
Clement said the case was defendable, but his client didn’t
want to risk a heftier sentence. Shylae’s death wasn’t intentional, he said.
Officials said Thomas starved Shylae, then hid her body so
she could continue collecting more than $3,000 a month in welfare money that
she received to care for the girl, who was physically and mentally challenged
and unable to feed herself.
Via McClatchy-Tribune News Service.
