A Texas woman indicted in 2015 on felony child injuries charges pleaded guilty on Thursday in a Dallas courtroom.
Dallas Morning News reports that 22-year-old Princess White deprived her 7-month-old baby, Kary Sharpe, of nutrition to the point that the infant only weighed ounces more than his birth weight. He was too weak to even lift his head. Subsequently, the little boy passed away of starvation in December 2014.
In January 2015, a grand jury indicted White on charges of “failing to seek adequate medical care” and “failing to provide adequate nutrition.” Child Protective Services placed White’s two other children into foster care.
While in jail, White wrote State District Judge Teresa Hawthorne, asking for a lower bail amount. She claimed she was locked up for something she didn’t do.
“What they accusing me of I didn’t do it I love my kids. I was a single mother struggle tryna make sure we had a place to stay and food to eat.”
She also wrote that the only time she’s ever been in legal trouble before was when she was caught at a store stealing Pampers diapers for her baby.
Prosecutor Eren Price disagreed with White. He showed photos of the emaciated baby while in court on Thursday, to prove the extent of the infant’s poor health. The photo showed Kary’s shrunken body with bones poking out.
Price then showed pictures of Kary taken previously, when he was chubby with fat rolls. Detective Chris Adams, a child-abuse detective, said that if he didn’t know the case, he would have never thought that Kary was the same baby in both pictures.
White explained that Kary was lactose intolerant and had issues drinking his formula. She said she started him on soy formula, but detectives said that none was found in the home. Dr. Suzanne Dakil, an expert on child abuse cases, stated that even if Kary had issues with feeding, he wouldn’t have become that skinny and unhealthy unless he was starved.
“This is actively, passively letting a kid die right in front of you. It’s not an act of minutes. It’s weeks, months.”
Testimony in the trial is ongoing today. Hawthorne will determine White’s sentencing afterwards.
[Feature Photo: Dallas County Jail]
