BISMARCK — A St. Michael woman pleaded guilty in federal court to her part in the death of a 1-year-old child on the Spirit Lake Reservation.
Kenzie Rose Baker, 27, appeared Friday, Aug. 16, in federal court in Fargo and pleaded guilty before District Court Judge Peter Welte to accessory after the fact, child abuse in Indian country, and child neglect in Indian country.
Baker will be sentenced Jan. 22, 2025.
According to court documents, on Feb. 18, 2023, Baker called 911 from a home in St. Michael on the Spirit Lake Reservation and reported a 1-year-old child was not breathing. The child was transported to the hospital in Devils Lake where they were pronounced dead.
An autopsy concluded the cause of death was “battered child” due to multiple, repeated injuries. The child had internal injuries that went untreated, causing infection and sepsis.
Baker admitted she observed swelling for two weeks but failed to seek medical care.
“The abuse and death of this young child was senseless, wasteful, and utterly cruel,” United States Attorney Mac Schneider said in a release. “There is no undoing the disregard for life shown in this case, but by holding child abusers accountable in federal court we hope that future tragedies can be prevented.”
After the child died, co-defendant Collin Ray Delorme claimed a back injury on the child, which was above a spinal fracture, occurred when he misjudged a step and his boot slipped and a flashlight hit the child. Law enforcement attempted to locate the flashlight and Baker said she would provide it, but she did not.
Delorme is charged with four offenses including felony murder in Indian country, child abuse in Indian country and child neglect in Indian country. A jury trial for Delorme is scheduled for Nov. 19.
Delorme and Baker remain in federal custody.
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Publish date : 2024-08-22 05:38:00
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