Wichita woman sentenced for endangering Wichita toddler who died in July
A Wichita woman who pleaded guilty to aggravated child endangerment in connection with the July 28 death of her boyfriend’s 20-month-old son has been sentenced to one year of supervised probation, according to court records.
Xjohnna Hannah, 26, was originally charged with murder, child abuse and aggravated child endangerment in the death of Lasiah Williams, who became unresponsive and died at a Wichita hospital after spending two nights in his father’s care. Kentrell Willingham, 26, of Wichita, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of child abuse in a deal where his own murder charge was dismissed after his son’s autopsy showed the boy had suffered “extensive external injuries,” including bruises to his head and body, but failed to pinpoint exactly how he died.
Hannah’s murder charge was dismissed for the same reason, the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. She pleaded guilty on Feb. 9.
Her sentence, imposed Thursday morning by Sedgwick County District Judge David Dahl, carries an underlying prison term of seven months, which she could be ordered to serve if she fails to follow the conditions of her probation.
In Kansas, probation is the presumptive punishment for a person with little or no prior criminal history who is convicted of aggravated child endangerment.
Lasiah died after a custody exchange between Willingham and one of the toddler’s family members, who realized he had become unresponsive after they left the exchange point. The boy had no “notable internal injuries” and had been uninjured when the visitation with his father started, according to court documents. Willingham claimed in a police interview that his son had “played roughly” with other kids during a lake trip but hadn’t been hurt, court records say. He told police Lasiah had been alert and smiling when their visit ended.
But phone messages between Willingham and Hannah suggested that the toddler had been abused, court records show.
Willingham is serving a 5 1/2-year prison sentence in the case.
