HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – A Mt. Vernon man was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a charge relating to the 2018 death of a 14-month-old girl.
According to court documents, Richard Kennedy, 28, admitted as part of his guilty plea that while taking care of Nyla Brantley, he placed the child in a situation that endangered the child’s life by failing to appropriately supervise the child and failing to seek medical care. Kennedy was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
According to authorities, Nyla had been dropped off at the apartment of Samantha Burris on October 1, 2018, and she was left in the care of Burris and her boyfriend Kennedy. Court documents say that Nyla’s parents were contacted and told that she was not acting right and needed to be picked up. Upon picking her up from Burris’ apartment, the parents sought medical attention on October 3.
Nyla passed away due to extensive head trauma on October 6 at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital. An investigation conducted by Indiana State Police revealed that Nyla was in good health when she was dropped off at Burris’ apartment. Both Kennedy and Burris denied they did anything to inflict injuries on Nyla.
