Whitman mother gets time in prison for role in 2-year-old daughter's death

Cody Shepard, The Enterprise
Updated ·2 min read

PLYMOUTH − A Whitman mother has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the death of her 2-year-old daughter.

Shaniqua Leonard, 29, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Plymouth District Court to one count each of manslaughter and reckless endangerment of a child.

She was charged in the death of her daughter, Lyric Farell, in December 2019. Lyric was found unresponsive in the family's Washington Street home in Whitman on Dec. 28, 2019. She was hospitalized in Brockton and Boston, but taken off of life support on Dec. 31.

Shaniqua Leonard, 29, of Whitman is arraigned in Brockton Superior Court on manslaughter charges on Tuesday, Aug, 18, 2020 in connection to the death of her daughter Lyric Farrell, 2, in December 2019.
Shaniqua Leonard, 29, of Whitman is arraigned in Brockton Superior Court on manslaughter charges on Tuesday, Aug, 18, 2020 in connection to the death of her daughter Lyric Farrell, 2, in December 2019.

"Detectives determined that Farrell was in serious distress and in urgent need of immediate medical attention and that Leonard failed to take action and get the child proper treatment in a timely manner," the Plymouth County district attorney's office said in a statement.

Prosecutors previously said that an autopsy determined Lyric was bleeding behind her eyes and suffering from a hemorrhage inside of her skull, slowly dying as a result of head injuries that could only be inflicted with a force equivalent to a violent car crash.

During Leonard's superior court arraignment in August 2020, Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Jessica Kenny told the judge that Leonard’s explanation of the death contradicted the facts surrounding the case. Kenny said Leonard showed hospital staff videos of Lyric slumped over and hitting her head on the ground, after the mother tried to hold her head up, claiming that the fatal injuries were a result of self-harm. However, neurologists and other medical experts said that could not have been the cause, and one of Leonard’s other six children talked to a therapist about his mother harming Lyric.

An undated family photograph shows Christopher Farrell, of Boston, right, with his daughter, Lyric Farrell, of Whitman.
An undated family photograph shows Christopher Farrell, of Boston, right, with his daughter, Lyric Farrell, of Whitman.

On Wednesday, the district attorney's office recommended that Leonard serve 8 to 10 years in state prison, followed by five years of probation.

Judge Maynard Kirpalani sentenced Leonard to serve 3 to 4 years in prison, with five years of probation afterward.

The judge also adopted the probation conditions requested by the prosecution, including that Leonard stay away and have no contact with anyone under the age of 16 or the witnesses in the case. Leonard was ordered to wear a GPS-monitoring bracelet and to undergo parenting and anger management classes.

"Lyric Farrell was a perfectly healthy 2 1/2-year-old who loved bubbles, her daycare, and the colors blue and purple," Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said in a statement. "She was loved, she was special, and didn't deserve what happened to her."

Enterprise senior reporter Cody Shepard can be reached by email at cshepard@enterprisenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Whitman mother sentenced to prison for role in daughter's death