A Louisiana mother has pleaded guilty following the fatal beating of her 3-year-old daughter while left with a group of unsupervised children.
Dineshia Yates and her friend, Terica Scott, both 26-years-old, left eight children alone at Scott's Baton Rouge home to gamble at a casino the night that Yates' daughter, Blessing Buckles, was fatally beaten by two older children, according to arrest records obtained by WAFB.
While the women were gone, a juvenile called 911 around 3:45 am to report that Buckles, Yates' daughter, was not breathing. Buckles was taken to the hospital where she was resuscitated and treated for bruises and abrasions consistent with blunt for trauma. She died of a brain bleed on February 14, 2024.
Yates and Scott arrived at the home shortly after police. Yates told police she had been staying at the home for the past two weeks, and admitted to regularly leaving the children home alone, despite complaints of violence and bruising seen on at least one of the children, who were between the ages of 11 months and 12-years-old.
Two of the boys, the 10-year-old son of Scott, and her 12-year-old nephew, have been charged with second-degree murder and battery connected to the toddler's death. A 4-year-old girl was found beaten as well, but survived, WBRZ reported.
Scott admitted she was aware her nephew had a history of violence. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of principal to second-degree murder and principal to simple battery. She is scheduled to appear in court on May 5.
Yates entered a "best interest" plea to manslaughter and cruelty to juveniles, which signifies a defendant accepts a conviction without formally admitting guilt. Yates has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
