The mother of a three-year-old girl who was beaten to death by two boys while she went gambling last year has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Dineshia Yates, 27, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and cruelty to juveniles after her daughter, Blessing Buckles, was killed by other children while unattended.
Yates’ daughter Blessing Buckles suffered a brain bleed following an alleged attack by the juvenile suspects – who are Scott’s son, 10, and her nephew, 12.
Scott has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is expected to attend court on May 5.
East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a call about Blessing being unconscious at Scott’s home on O’Neal lane on February 12, 2024.
Deputies said a child made the call at around 3.45pm and there were no adults in the house when they arrived. Scott and Yates pulled up in the driveway shortly after.
The pair admitted that all eight children had been left home alone for several hours while they were out gambling at the casino, police said.
Scott also said she was aware that her nephew had a history of violence towards other children.
Yates said she had seen bruises on at least one of her daughters after they were left alone with the boy but she ‘ignored her children’s pleas for help’, according to arrest records seen by WAFB.
Scott and Yates were each charged with principal to simple battery and principal to second-degree murder over Blessing’s death.
The two boys responsible for the attack were also arrested and charged with one count each of battery and second-degree murder.
EMTs tried to resuscitate Blessing at the home before transporting to her to the hospital in a critical condition.
She later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead two days later, on February 14.
Scott was charged with murder in 2021 for allegedly shooting a woman to death, but she was never indicted by a grand jury.
She was also charged with arson in 2023 for allegedly setting fire to a car outside someone’s home.
