As the parent of a young child, when we leave our kids in the care of our friends while we go off to work or a social engagement, it feels like such a gift to know that they’re well taken care of and loved while we’re away. When that trust is broken and the unimaginable happens, those overwhelming feelings can be soul-crushing. Hopefully, some of that pain was eased when a babysitter in Missouri was sentenced to life in prison after the 2021 death of an 8-month-old girl who was in her care.
Jennifer Johnson, 49, has been sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder after she was convicted by a jury in Boone County, Missouri, of the murder of Hannah Kent, who she had been babysitting in April 2021, Us Weekly reported. Johnson also was found guilty of two counts of first-degree child endangerment and will serve an additional 15 years on each count, per KMIZ.
The child’s mother, Lanetta Hill, found her child “unresponsive” and “cool to the touch” when she arrived home about 8:30 a.m. that day, per KMIZ. The mom also immediately noticed bruising on her daughter and took her to their local children’s hospital where the child was declared dead, the news outlet reported.
Police said the 49-year-old “played dumb” about what happened to the infant that day. Reports say she burped the 8-month-old “aggressively” and had strangely stashed a soaking wet onesie, which the baby had presumably been wearing, in a kitchen cabinet, per Law & Crime.
It was also found that Johnson “made up a story about falling asleep at the child’s home” that night while she had actually been using her phone texting people she knew looking for drugs, according to Law & Crime.
During the trial, a detective from the Columbia Police Department testified and said he went to the hospital that morning and observed several bruises on the child’s head and chest, KMIZ reported. It’s still not known what exactly happened that day, but police and medical witnesses described bruising and brain injuries consistent with recent trauma.
The child’s mother gave a victim impact statement in court obtained by KMIZ that read, “I left my child in her care believing she would be safe, loved, and protected. Instead, my daughter was harmed and lost her life. The person I trusted to watch over my child became the reason I will never hold her again. That betrayal will stay with me forever.”
We cannot imagine the immense pain and grief this mother suffers from every single day. Our healing thoughts go out to her and her family.
