Ex-babysitter who hit infant 40 years ago pleads guilty to manslaughter in his 2019 death
Terry McKirchy, 62, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the 2019 death of a man she was accused of disabling as an infant 40 years ago. She is pictured during a hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Aug. 21. (Photo by Carline Jean/The South Florida Sun Sentinel via the Associated Press)
A former babysitter pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for the 2019 death of a 35-year-old man, saying in an apology letter she hit him when he was a baby 40 years ago.
Terry McKirchy, 62, wrote in her letter that she was angry and overwhelmed by crying children at her Florida home in July 1984 when she struck Benjamin Dowling, who was disabled from his injuries.
The Tampa Bay Times, CBS News, NBC Miami and the New York Times covered the plea.
The 5-month-old baby suffered a brain hemorrhage. In a statement, Dowling’s parents said he “never crawled, fully rolled over, walked, never talked, never fed himself, he never enjoyed a hamburger or an ice cream cone, he could never tell us when he had an itch or anything hurt.”
McKirchy, who lives in Sugar Land, Texas, was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation. She was initially charged in 2021 with first-degree murder after an autopsy determined that the death was likely due to the 1984 injuries.
McKirchy had previously maintained that Dowling was injured when he fell off a couch. Prosecutors suspected shaken baby syndrome.
McKirchy was charged in 1984 with attempted murder and aggravated child abuse. She pleaded no contest to a lesser charge and was sentenced in 1985 to 60 days in jail—to be served on weekends. She also received three years of probation.
