{"id":2328736,"date":"2024-08-21T19:14:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T23:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-babysitter-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-for-death-of-man-she-injured-as-a-baby-in-1984\/"},"modified":"2024-08-21T19:17:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T23:17:58","slug":"former-babysitter-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-for-death-of-man-she-injured-as-a-baby-in-1984","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-babysitter-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-for-death-of-man-she-injured-as-a-baby-in-1984\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Babysitter Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter for Death of Man She Injured as a Baby in 1984"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-babysitter-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-for-death-of-man-she-injured-as-a-baby-in-1984%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2328736&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A former\u2064 babysitter, Terry McKirchy, has pleaded guilty to \u200dmanslaughter for \u200bthe 2019 death of Benjamin\u200b Dowling, a man who\u2062 suffered severe disabilities resulting from a brain hemorrhage caused by McKirchy when\u200d he was just five months old. At the time, she was caring for\u200c him in her Fort Lauderdale home. McKirchy, now 62, had initially faced \u2062a murder charge but accepted \u200ca\u200d plea deal, receiving a sentence \u2062of three\u2062 years in prison and ten years of probation. The Dowling family expressed their devastation over the plea deal and shared Benjamin&#8217;s struggles throughout his life, including \u2063numerous surgeries and his inability to care for himself.\u2063 McKirchy\u2064 had a prior plea deal \u200cfor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-calls-for-return-to-law-and-order-at-wake-for-slain-ny-police-officer\/\" title=\"Trump advocates for a &#039;Law and Order&#039; return during memorial for fallen NY police officer\">attempted murder related<\/a> to Benjamin&#8217;s injuries \u2064in\u200d 1985, which resulted in\u200d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cruz-pulls-out-white-board-to-show-scotus-nominee-her-record-on-sentencing-child-porn-offenders\/\" title=\"Cruz Pulls Out White Board To Show SCOTUS Nominee Her Record On Sentencing Child Porn Offenders\">significantly lighter sentence<\/a>. \u2063The case has brought attention to the serious consequences\u2062 of shaken baby syndrome, a term used to describe \u200binjuries \u2064to infants caused by violent shaking.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section>\n<p>A former babysitter pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for the 2019 death of a man she was accused of disabling as an infant 40 years ago and was sentenced to three years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Terry McKirchy, 62, accepted a plea deal for the death of Benjamin Dowling, who died at 35 after a life of severe disabilities caused by a brain hemorrhage he suffered in 1984 when he was 5 months old while at McKirchy&rsquo;s suburban <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/florida-mayor-abruptly-resigns-calls-state-intervention-squelch-corruptive-behavior\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fort Lauderdale<\/a> home. Investigators believed she caused the injury by shaking him.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter of apology read to Dowling&rsquo;s parents by her attorney, assistant public defender David Fry, McKirchy said she was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by taking care of numerous children and struck him, causing his injuries.<\/p>\n<p>A Broward County grand jury indicted McKirchy, who now lives in Sugar Land, Texas, with first-degree murder three years ago after an autopsy concluded Dowling died from his decades-old injuries. He never crawled, walked, talked or fed himself, his family has said.<\/p>\n<p>She voluntarily entered the Broward County Jail on May 29th after having been free on $100,000 bail since shortly after her indictment.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>McKirchy, who had been facing a life sentence, was sentenced to three years in prison and 10 years of probation under the plea agreement.<\/p>\n<p>This is not the first time McKirchy has taken a deal in connection with Dowling&rsquo;s injuries, receiving an exceptionally light sentence after pleading no contest to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/met-mother-actor-arrested-attempted-murder-charge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">attempted murder<\/a> in 1985. Then six months pregnant with her third child and facing 12 to 17 years in prison, she was sentenced to weekends in jail until giving birth. She was then freed and put on probation for three years.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, she insisted she was innocent, telling reporters that her &ldquo;conscience is clear.&rdquo; She said then that she took the deal because she wanted to put the case behind her and be with her children.<\/p>\n<p>Rae and Joe Dowling had been married four years when Benjamin was born January 13, 1984. Both Dowlings worked, so they hired McKirchy, then 22, to babysit him at her home.<\/p>\n<p>Rae Dowling told investigators that when she picked up Benjamin from McKirchy on July 3, 1984, his body was limp and his fists were clenched. She rushed him to the hospital, where doctors concluded he had suffered a brain hemorrhage from severe shaking. McKirchy was arrested within days.<\/p>\n<p>The Dowlings told reporters in 1985 they were stunned when prosecutors told them minutes before a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/judge-receives-3-month-suspension-showing-virtually-court-hearing-half-naked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">court hearing<\/a> of the plea deal McKirchy would receive.<\/p>\n<p>The Dowlings said in a 2021 statement that Benjamin endured several surgeries in his life, including having metal rods placed along his spine. He got nourishment through a feeding tube and attended rehab and special schools. The Dowlings had two more children and would take Benjamin to their games and performances. The family moved to Florida&rsquo;s Gulf Coast in the late 1990s. He died at their home on September 16, 2019.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Benjamin would never know how much he was loved and could never tell others of his love for them,&rdquo; they said. &ldquo;Benjamin did smile when he was around his family, although he could never verbalize anything, we believe he knew who we were and that we were working hard to help him.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dad-sentenced-32-years-abusing-infant-son-adoptive-family-s-truth-sbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shaken baby syndrome<\/a> first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ga-republicans-launch-stop-stacey-effort-ahead-of-possible-abrams-2022-announcement\/\" title=\"GA Republicans Launch \u2018Stop Stacey\u2019 Effort Ahead Of Possible Abrams 2022 Announcement\">gained national attention<\/a> in the 1970&rsquo;s as an explanation for the sudden deaths of infants and young children who had no outward signs of abuse. It would be diagnosed if the child had swelling of the brain, bleeding on the brain&rsquo;s surface and bleeding behind the retinas.<\/p>\n<p>The American Academy of Pediatrics, which now uses the term &ldquo;abusive head trauma,&rdquo; says about 1 in 3,000 babies under 1 are abused annually by shaking and about a quarter of those are fatally injured.<\/p>\n<p>It says doctors should be alert to bruising of the torso, ears and neck in children under 4 years old and any bruising in infants younger than 4 months as signs of possible shaking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Dowling had suffered severe disabilities since infancy due to a brain hemorrhage he sustained in 1984 at McKirchy&#8217;s home when he was just five months old. Investigators believed that she caused the injury by shaking him. In a letter of apology read by her attorney, McKirchy expressed that she felt overwhelmed while caring for multiple children and admitted to striking him, which led to his injuries. <\/p>\n<p>Three years ago, a Broward County grand jury indicted her on first-degree murder charges after an autopsy revealed that Dowling died from complications related to his long-standing injuries. He never achieved basic milestones such as crawling or walking and required constant care throughout his life. After being released on $100,000 bail following her indictment, McKirchy voluntarily turned herself into Broward County Jail on May 29.<\/p>\n<p>Under the plea agreement, she was sentenced to three years in prison and ten years of probation instead of facing a potential life sentence. This is not the first time McKirchy has accepted a plea deal regarding Dowling&#8217;s case; in 1985 she pleaded no contest to attempted murder and received a significantly lighter sentence\u2014weekend jail time until giving birth followed by three years of probation\u2014despite maintaining her innocence at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Benjamin was born on January 13, 1984; both his parents worked and hired McKirchy as his babysitter when he was an infant. Rae Dowling recounted how Benjamin appeared limp with clenched fists when she picked him up from McKirchy\u2019s home shortly before he was hospitalized for severe shaking injuries leading to brain damage.<\/p>\n<p>The Dowlings were shocked by the leniency shown towards McKirchy during earlier court proceedings and shared that Benjamin underwent numerous surgeries throughout his life but ultimately passed away at their home on September 16, 2019. They reflected on how much love they had for him despite his inability to express it verbally.<\/p>\n<p>Shaken baby syndrome became widely recognized in the late &#8217;70s as an explanation for unexplained infant deaths without visible signs of abuse; it is now referred to as &#8220;abusive head trauma.&#8221; The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that approximately one in every three thousand infants under one year old suffers abuse through shaking annually\u2014with about twenty-five percent resulting in fatal injuries\u2014and advises vigilance regarding bruising patterns indicative of such trauma<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2328737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/a5ee587ca0cb4db5a29eddb0950fdd74.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38879,7204,15600],"class_list":["post-2328736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-child-injurty","tag-crime","tag-manslaughter"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/a5ee587ca0cb4db5a29eddb0950fdd74.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2328736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2328737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2328736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2328736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2328736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}