Mom changes plea to guilty in death of daughter, 12, found in their Xenia home in June
The 43-year-old mother of 12-year-old Aaliyah Artis will learn her fate in December after she decided to a plea agreement in the investigation of the child’s death.
A Dec. 21 hearing has been scheduled for Mary Artis on two felony counts of endangering children, according to Greene County online court records.
Aaliyah was found dead June 8, three days after her birthday, at her house on Texas Drive, according to a Xenia police report.
“The cause of death is listed as a lung injury, with contributing factors of weight loss, malnutrition, and poor living conditions,” Xenia police said. “The lung injury is not suspected to be the result of external trauma, but instead was likely caused by a medical condition.”
A county grand jury on April 15 handed up a secret indictment on three counts of endangering children. Following at least two mental health evaluations, Artis was found competent for trial in late September in Judge Aldolfo Tornichio’s courtroom.
In May, the judge ordered a recognizance bond for Artis which set into motion an intervention program in lieu or conviction. If she fails to appear in court for any part of her case, a new felony charge could result and Artis could be sentenced up to 18 months in prison and fined $50,000, according to online court records.
On Nov. 10, Artis, through her attorney, changed her plea to guilty on two of the three counts. One of the counts was dropped, according to the court record.
Xenia investigators said Mary Artis was cooperative throughout the investigation.
