An Illinois father and his girlfriend have been convicted in the death of his 5-year-old daughter, who was brutally beaten after refusing to help clean the house.
Unchinna Myrick, 28, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children on Wednesday, for her role in the 2021 death of Janiyah Herring. Janiyah's father, 30-year-old Cedric O'Neal Herring, was convicted of murder in September.
Herring brought Janiyah to the hospital on May 29, 2021, where he told staff she was knocked unconscious in a car accident, Fox 5 reported. Despite efforts to save her, Janiyah was pronounced dead.
During an examination following her death, medical staff noted wounds and bruising consistent with child abuse and alerted authorities, who quickly disproved Herring's car accident story when none of the details he shared could be connected to any recorded vehicular incident.
Janiyah's siblings revealed to investigators that Herring's girlfriend, Myrick, had whipped the child with a cord for refusing to clean the house the day of her death. After attempts to escape the beating, Myrick tied the girl to the bed and continued the beating.
At one point when she was untied, Herring also beat her, with Janiyah eventually falling to the floor. Herring reportedly yelled at her to get up and fight, but she soon became unresponsive, at which point Herring put her in an ice bath before taking her to the hospital.
In September 2024, a jury found Herring guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and child cruelty. He was sentenced to life in prison. Myrick, who pleaded guilty last week, received a 50-year sentence, with 30 years in prison and 20 on probation.
