RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) -- The parents of an infant who was beaten to death have entered guilty pleas in the case.
The Richmond Register (http://bit.ly/NHON25) reports that 28-year-old William Leroy Dawes and 26-year-old Diana Dawes wept as they entered the pleas Wednesday in connection to the 2011 death of their 7-month-old daughter, Serenity Dawes.
William Dawes pleaded guilty to murder and criminal abuse and Diana Dawes pleaded guilty to manslaughter and criminal abuse.
Prosecutor Jennifer Smith said evidence showed William Dawes assaulted the infant and Diana Dawes did not report the abuse.
The medical examiner ruled the infant died of complications from blunt force trauma. Smith said the autopsy report showed the child had a broken leg, two broken ribs, brain damage, retinal bleeding and several bruises.
