An Alpine mother who pleaded guilty to child endangerment in the death of her 18-month-old daughter was sentenced, Mar. 27, to four years in state prison.
The sentence for Lillie Golden Brown, 22, was a bit of a surprise, considering she earlier had a plea agreement that called for up to a 1-year jail term with probation.
An Alpine mother who pleaded guilty to child endangerment in the death of her 18-month-old daughter was sentenced, Mar. 27, to four years in state prison.
The sentence for Lillie Golden Brown, 22, was a bit of a surprise, considering she earlier had a plea agreement that called for up to a 1-year jail term with probation.
Leah Rose Brown Meza died of head injuries on Dec. 6, 2016 . She also had a broken arm and a burned foot from coming too close to a space heater.
Lillie Brown testified against her ex-boyfriend, Wiliey Foster, Jr., 28, in his murder trial, but a mistrial was declared Feb. 28 after jurors deadlocked mostly for acquittal of Foster.
“I don’t have any respect for her as a mother,” said Teresa Cousins, the baby’s paternal grandmother.
“I feel some justice was served,” said the toddler’s biological father, Robert Meza, afterwards to reporters. “It’s not what any of us wanted, of course, but we will take what we can get.”
El Cajon Superior Court Judge Daniel Lamborn denied probation and gave Brown credit for serving 180 days in jail previously. Brown could have received a maximum 6-year term.
Foster’s attorney, Jan Ronis, had argued Brown found her baby dead without checking on her for 14 hours previously. She admitted to using methamphetamine in the past.
“I loved my daughter and yes, I made mistakes,” said Brown in court. “I’m a young mother and I never had a mother of my own – she died when I was (young). I really didn’t know how to raise my daughter.”
Deputy District Attorney Chantal de Mauregne submitted the sentencing to Lamborn without a specific recommendation.
Brown’s agreement with the DA’s office was broken when she was arrested a few days before Foster’s trial started in early February for misdemeanor battery on her new boyfriend and being drunk in public.
Brown had been in a witness protection program due to some type of threat which was not attributed to Foster. Brown testified that she received $12,491 for rent and expenses, but she acknowledged her arrest caused the DA’s office to sever the agreement.
Brown had been free on bond, but she was handcuffed and taken into custody at the end of the hearing.
Foster remains in jail and his retrial is set for June 4. He has pleaded not guilty.
Man stands trial for stabbing two women
Patrick Christian Douglas, 51, was ordered March 27 to stand trial for two counts of attempted murder in separate knife attacks upon two women in El Cajon and La Mesa.
Both women testified about the Nov. 7, 2017 attacks that occurred minutes apart. El Cajon Superior Court Judge Herbert Exarhos ruled in the preliminary hearing that there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.
Shawntey Palmer testified that she got into Douglas’ car on El Cajon Boulevard around 3 a.m. and he drove her to a store’s parking lot at 350 North Second Street in El Cajon.
“He said he just came from a bachelor party,” said Palmer. “He seemed like a nice guy.”
Surveillance cameras showed Douglas getting out of the car and lunging at least 13 times through the window as he was stabbing Palmer. On his own cellphone, Douglas yelled, “I’m going to kill her” in a video played in court.
A witness testified Douglas pulled Palmer out of the car, scattering her belongings. She was hospitalized in critical condition for 13-17 stab wounds.
Dina Hammond, a Frito-Lay delivery person, identified Douglas as the man who stabbed her as she was delivering food items to the 7-Eleven store at 4610 Avocado Boulevard in La Mesa at 3:06 a.m.
The two women do not know each other and the motive for the attacks is unknown. Deputy District Attorney Jeff Lazar said if Douglas is convicted, he faces a sentence of 92 years to life.
Douglas was also ordered to stand trial for assault on a police officer and evading sheriff’s deputies with reckless driving. He was arrested in Dulzura where he had fled at high speed.
Douglas will return to court on April 10. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail on $5 million bail.
