A 16-year-old Syracuse boy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder today in Onondaga County Court in the beating death of last November of his girlfriend’s 20-month-old child.

Anthony Weakfall Jr., 16, made the plea in exchange for two years less than the maximum sentence for a juvenile offender, 15 years to life, according to a court transcript of the plea.

County Judge Joseph E. Fahey said he was reluctant to commit to a sentence of 13 years to life for Weakfall because of the “seriousness of the offense, duration of the offense, the horrendous trauma in terms of injuries” that were inflicted on Imani Jennings before her death on Nov. 21, 2008.

Fahey said he was willing to accept the 13 years-to-life plea agreement, “a sentence only two years less than I could otherwise impose,” to avoid imposing the trauma of seeing pictures of “horrendous and horrific” injuries to the child on those associated with the case and on members of a jury had the case gone to trial.
[...]

Rick Trunfio, who prosecuted the case for the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, said after the hearing that he was “extremely happy” with the disposition of the case.

“What we got today is a plea as charged,” Trunfio said. “We got a life sentence. He didn’t get 13 years. He got a life sentence that makes him eligible for parole in 13 years.”

Weakfall participated in a “brutal and heinous crime against an innocent baby,” Trunfio said. “The torture this baby suffered is horrendous.”
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Full article

 A Syracuse teenager was indicted today on a second-degree murder charge in the Nov. 21 death of his girlfriend’s 20-month-old daughter.
Anthony A. Weakfall Jr., now 16, is accused of showing a depraved indifference to human life and recklessly causing the death of Imani Jennings.
The little girl was found beaten to death the afternoon of Nov. 21 in the Fage Avenue apartment her mother, Cherron Patterson, shared with Weakfall.

The indictment charges that from Nov. 1 through Nov. 21 Weakfall severely beat the child with a number of dangerous instruments, including metal rods and tubes, a metal spring and a coaxial cable cord, leaving her severely cut, bruised and scarred.

The indictment further charges that on Nov. 21 Weakfall “beat the infant so brutally” with his hands, a metal rod and a metal spring that he caused injury to her brain, which impaired her ability to breathe. He then left her alone in the apartment for several hours, where she died of multiple blunt force injuries.  
Weakfall was 15 at the time but is being prosecuted as an adult because of the seriousness of the case.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/syracuse_teenager_indicted_on.html

For now the courts have placed her in temporary foster care.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-17/1236934576263950.xml&coll=1

That poor baby was left in the hand of two teenage morons who have absolutely no concept of parenting. I would have had social services visit that little bitch and her boyfriend from day one.

So, you’re saying that if a teenage neighbor became pregnant, you would call Social Services everyday until they went to her home and took the child away? Not all teenage mothers are like this one. Most have more common sense than the one’s that are plastered on this web-site. Don’t judge all teenage parents based on these 2. It’s because of these 2 that all teenage parents are looked down upon as not knowing how to care for their children.

If I were a neighbor, I would’ve called CPS due to the fact that I believe one of them knew that little girl was left alone for the entire day. The daycare she went to should’ve called also. Everyone failed this child. And that is what’s so sad about this situation.

That poor baby was left in the hand of two teenage morons who have absolutely no concept of parenting. I would have had social services visit that little bitch and her boyfriend from day one.

What a bunch of losers to beat that child to death. If it were my choice, they would have gotten the death penalty.

But that’s okay. They’ll feel the excruciating pain that little girl had to endure when they’re getting their asses beaten in a prison cell. Oh, the sweet, sweet smell of karma.

They arrested a daycare worker for being aware of the abuse, and not reporting it. Good, I’m glad to see that the people who could’ve prevented the death a such a beautiful baby are being held accountable for it.

My god! I can not believe how many people witness abuse and turn a blind eye. In this case she was required to report it and didn’t. And worse yet, the most she could get is one year.

They arrested a daycare worker for being aware of the abuse, and not reporting it. Good, I’m glad to see that the people who could’ve prevented the death a such a beautiful baby are being held accountable for it.

otherwise they drill the number in my head when my kids were in daycare… 241-kids

you might want to check if they work in your city as well.

this story is upsetting RIP imani … 20 mos seems like such a fun age.

as far as parental support goes. They probably were told to fuckoff one too many time “butt” out – she’s not your baby” Some parents pratice “tough love” no grandparent would expect this … Those things only happen to other people, not anyone I know.

damn that shudda couldda wouldda … maybe the parents are inbred and or prison inmates themselves.

this is about a innocent childs life that was lost.