A Florida woman is accused of killing her 9-year-old cousin after the woman sat on the child as a form of punishment.
The 325-pound woman, identified as 64-year-old Veronica Green Posey, was charged with homicide and cruelty toward a child, the Pensacola News Journal reported.
Posey sat on the girl, Dericka Lindsay, Saturday after she said the girl misbehaved, said a report by the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Pensacola News Journal, Dericka's parents, Grace Joan Smith and James Edmund Smith, sought Posey's help Saturday in punishing the child.
Posey, who said that Dericka was “out of control,” first struck the girl with a ruler and a metal pipe before Dericka ran to an armchair, authorities said.
Posey sat on top of Dericka in the chair for about 10 minutes before the girl complained that she could not breathe, the girl’s father told police. When Posey stood up about two minutes later, she discovered the child unresponsive. Posey called 911 and began performing CPR.
Paramedics who responded to the call found Dericka unresponsive and transported her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, the News Journal reported.
Grace and James Smith were arrested and charged with child neglect for not reporting the alleged abuse. Grace Smith was also charged with cruelty toward a child.
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Smiths had previously had an incident with the agency involving their daughter’s welfare.
Posey, whose bail was set at $125,000, was released from jail Monday. Her aunt and uncle remained in jail.
See more at the Pensacola News Journal.
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