You’ll want clear facts up front: a babysitter faces serious allegations after an 8-month-old in her care was found unresponsive, and authorities say she gave conflicting accounts and texted others instead of telling the full truth. This piece explains what happened, how investigators uncovered contradictions in her statements, and what legal consequences followed.
As you follow the timeline, expect to see details from the scene, witness reports about the child’s condition, and how phone records and physical evidence shaped the investigation. The article then covers the charges, the trial outcome, and the penalties imposed.
Details of the Incident and Investigation
The infant was found unresponsive after a morning visit, with caregivers and investigators quickly focused on bruising, conflicting accounts, and phone records. Medical observations, witness statements, and physical evidence shaped the criminal case.
Timeline of Events Leading to the Discovery
Lanetta Hill returned to her Columbia home on Elleta Boulevard around 8:30 a.m. and found her 8-month-old daughter, Hannah Kent, unresponsive and cool to the touch. She noticed bruising on the baby and rushed her to the local children’s hospital, where medical staff declared the infant deceased.
Earlier that night, babysitter Jennifer Johnson had been at the house; Johnson later told police she had fallen asleep while watching the child. Investigators later reported she had been texting and seeking drugs instead, contradicting her initial claim. Officers from the Columbia Police Department responded to the hospital and the home that morning to begin a criminal investigation.
Key Individuals Involved
Jennifer Johnson, 49, served as the babysitter and became the primary defendant after inconsistencies in her account emerged. Lanetta Hill is the victim’s mother and the person who discovered Hannah unresponsive and transported her to care.
Columbia Police detectives conducted interviews and documented injuries. A detective who visited the hospital noted visible bruises on Hannah’s head and chest. Media coverage and public reports, including a KMIZ report, tracked the case as it progressed through arrest, trial, and sentencing.
Evidence and Statements Collected
Police collected a wet onesie from Johnson’s home that had been stored in a kitchen cabinet; investigators described it as soaking and inconsistent with Johnson’s account. Detectives documented bruises and brain injuries consistent with recent trauma during a hospital examination and in their written criminal complaint.
Body camera footage and phone records were referenced in court reports to establish Johnson’s movements and communications overnight. Witness testimony and the mother’s victim impact statement played roles in the prosecution’s narrative that Johnson “played dumb” about the events that morning. The combination of medical findings, physical items like the onesie, and contradicting statements formed the core of the evidence used at trial.
Legal Proceedings and Repercussions
The case moved quickly from emergency response to formal charges, courtroom testimony, and detainment decisions that shaped the family’s access to justice. Court filings, witness accounts, and custody of the defendant defined the next legal steps and the immediate effects on the victim’s family.
Charges Filed Against the Babysitter
Prosecutors charged the babysitter with multiple felonies tied to the infant’s death and the alleged false statements to law enforcement. Counts reportedly included second-degree murder and felony murder theories along with first-degree child endangerment and related child endangerment charges.
Those specific charges allowed prosecutors to pursue the most serious penalties available under state law, while also preserving alternate theories such as involuntary manslaughter or reckless conduct if evidence supported reduced culpability.
At the initial arraignment the court read the charges aloud and set bail conditions. The defendant entered a plea at or shortly after arraignment; prosecutors sought detention based on danger to the community and flight risk. Charging decisions came from the county prosecutor’s office following the medical examiner’s findings and police investigation.
Court Testimonies and Trial Highlights
Witness testimony focused on timeline details, the babysitter’s statements to police, and medical expert interpretation of the infant’s injuries. Officers who took those statements described inconsistencies between the babysitter’s account and physical evidence.
Medical experts explained whether injuries matched a fall, shaking, poisoning, or nonaccidental trauma; those opinions became central to juror deliberations. Forensic pathologists summarized autopsy results and causation, which prosecutors used to link action to harm.
Defense witnesses attempted to challenge the interpretation of injuries and to suggest alternative explanations for the infant’s condition. The judge ruled on admissibility of prior statements and expert methodology, shaping what jurors ultimately heard about intent and culpability.
Sentencing and Detainment
After conviction or plea, sentencing considered statutory ranges tied to each count—second-degree murder and felony murder carry long prison terms, while first-degree child endangerment adds consecutive time in many jurisdictions. Judges weighed aggravating facts, prior record, and recommendations from probation officers.
The defendant spent pretrial time at Boone County Jail while awaiting trial or sentencing when that facility housed detainees from the county court. Detainment conditions and bail determinations influenced the defense’s ability to prepare, including access to counsel and evidence review.
If the court reduced charges or accepted a plea to a lesser count, sentencing could shift from decades-long terms to shorter incarceration plus supervised release, counseling, or child-protection-related restrictions.
Victim and Family Impact
The victim’s family filed a victim impact statement describing emotional, financial, and practical losses following the infant’s death. They recounted medical bills, funeral costs, and ongoing grief, all of which the prosecutor submitted for the court’s consideration at sentencing.
Family members also pursued civil remedies in parallel, seeking damages from parties they allege share responsibility. Court delays and repeated hearings prolonged their trauma, and restrictions on viewing records or in-court testimony shaped how they participated in the process.
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