Sheilla E. Linares, First Degree Manslaughter, Kentucky 2016

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a shocking turn of events, Sheilla E. Linares, a 22-year-old resident of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter in the death of an infant she was babysitting in December 2013.

Linares, who is currently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service, will be sentenced on February 24, 2016, at 11:45 a.m. in Louisville.

According to the Plea Agreement, Linares admitted to intentionally causing serious injury to the infant, T.R.C., Jr., on December 3, 2013, while caring for four children, including her two young children and T.R.C., Jr.’s three-year-old sister, A.C.

Linares stated that it took her less than a second to realize what she had done was completely wrong. She then put the baby in a swing, where he became unresponsive. Linares called the baby’s mother and 9-1-1, and an ambulance transported the infant to the emergency room at the Army hospital located on Fort Campbell Military Base.

T.R.C., Jr.’s condition deteriorated, and he was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where medical personnel noticed bruising on his shoulders and left upper arm. Medical tests revealed bilateral subdural hemorrhage, focal subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral edema, bilateral optic nerve sheath hemorrhage, subdural blood throughout the spinal cord, and cervical nerve root hemorrhage.

Those injuries led to T.R.C., Jr.’s death on December 7, 2013. The amended autopsy report lists the cause of death as blunt force injuries of the head and neck.

Linares will be sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by a three-year period of Supervised Release. She faces a fine of up to $250,000. Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless is prosecuting the case, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Clarksville Tennessee Police Department.

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