A Burgaw woman pleaded guilty to child abuse in connection with the 2017 death of her toddler Friday, but the second-degree murder charge she also faced was dismissed.
Quanisha Fennell, 27, was arrested in 2021 and charged with second-degree murder and felony child abuse in connection with the 2017 death of her 2-year-old son.
Samantha Dooies, assistant to the district attorney, said that the second-degree murder charge was dismissed pursuant to the plea.
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According to past StarNews reports, Burgaw police officers saw a man holding a small child in his arms and traveling north on Progress Drive in Burgaw on Dec. 11, 2017. The officers took the child and attempted CPR in the patrol car while on the way to Pender Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The child’s autopsy revealed the potential cause of death was due to his ruptured liver and abdominal bleeding caused by a blunt force trauma to the torso, and there were no other external injuries. Fennell was arrested and charged following an investigation into the death.
According to reports, Fennell admitted to throwing her child on a couch at the hearing. But some believe he may have hit something harder because of the injuries. Fennell confessed in court that her actions caused his death.
Fennell appeared in Pender County Superior Court Friday to enter the guilty plea on the child abuse charge. She was sentenced to serve 10 to 13 years in prison.
Reach reporter Jamey Cross at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Pender woman pleads guilty to child abuse in connection to son’s death