Prosecutors said that the parents of a 16-month-old baby girl were arrested when she died after being exposed to fentanyl. The child’s grandmother was also arrested.
Brian Conaty, the Acting District attorney for Sullivan County, told WNBC-TV that Jimmie Luvert was indicted and Lisa Keitt on charges of second-degree murder and endangering a child’s welfare.
Akasha Luvert passed away while her family stayed at Knights Inn Motel in May 2002. Another child was injured but is recovering and being treated.
The couple passed out after smoking fentanyl right in front of their kids, according to police reports.
Conaty stated that Lisa Keitt (26 years old) and Jimmie Luvert (41 years old) were both indicted on two counts of misdemeanor child endangerment and felony second-degree manslaughter.
49-year-old Jacob McCoy was also charged with felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for allegedly selling the fentanyl to the parents.
The child’s grandmother, 54-year-old Lisa Fedrico, was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child after investigators said she smoked crack cocaine in front of the child before her death.
Luvert cursed a camera recording him Thursday as he was being taken by the police to appear in court. Keitt did not say anything when she was called to enter the building.
Keitt’s attorney said that she was very remorseful.
Gerald Gray told the Billings Gazette that “She will be living with guilt for life in one form or another.”
Conaty accused the county attorney of failing to protect the child in previous incidents.
Mike Maguire, the County Attorney, refused to initiate removal proceedings when CPS raised concerns with the legal branch of the CPS, which is the county attorney’s office.
Conaty said that “under his regime, he created an apathy culture which has discouraged workers from making appropriate requests for removal of children.”
