A judge sentenced a Baltimore man to 8 years in prison in connection to the death of his 2-year-old daughter in a hot car in June 2015.
Wilbert Carter got 8 years for involuntary manslaughter and 30 days for confining a child unattended in a vehicle. His daughter, Leasia Carter, was trapped in her car seat for more than 16 hours in 89 degree heat on June 22, 2015. She was found dead, still strapped in her seat just before 5 p.m. She had been there since midnight the night before.
Court records show Carter had been drinking heavily when he parked his car and staggered onto a woman’s porch and passed out. The woman found him at 7 a.m. the next morning and drove him home where he slept until 4:30 p.m. When he woke up he realized his daughter was missing and ran a few blocks to where his car was parked.
The two-year-old died of hyperthermia.
"Carter's prosecution demonstrates our intolerance of such child neglect, where the neglectful care rises to the level of a crime," said Assistant State’s Attorney Anne Leitess, who prosecuted the case. "We are charged with the duty to prosecute cases to the fullest extent of the law, even those cases involving a family member. We are pleased that Wilbert Carter received a significant sentence for the role he played in the tragic death of his daughter."
