A nanny has been found guilty of drowning an infant in milk after the baby was said to have ruined her nap, reported the Washington Post.
Chilling footage of 73-year-old Oluremi Adeleye, where she force-fed eight-month-old Enita Salubi nearly eight ounces of milk in a 30-second period, was crucial in finding the nanny guilty of child abuse and murder, as prosecutors claimed that the nanny killed the infant by asphyxiation back in October of 2016.
Presented at the trial, footage showed Salubi tugging on Adeleye's dress as she tried to take a nap. The video shows the nanny feeding the infant two bottles of milk making up to eight ounces in a 30 second period. Salubi fell to the floor, before Adeleye picked her up and tried to give her another bottle of milk.
Salubi's body went limp shortly thereafter.
"I did what I needed to do to make sure the baby had food in the stomach," explained Adeleye through a Yoruba interpreter. She claimed that she was employing a technique called "cup feeding" which she says is customary in her home country of Nigeria.
As a result, her defending attorney, Douglas Wood, argued that Adeleye did not commit child abuse, as there was no malice involved in her actions. However, Artemis Moutsatsos, Assistant State’s Attorney in Prince George’s County, had a different view of the events that day.
"She was getting her to shut up by pouring down the milk," Moutsatsos said, while Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy explained how the nanny cam was crucial in ensuring justice was done that day. Judge Mason said that Adeleye initially lied to investigators, but changed her tune once she was told footage existed.
"You have two loving, caring parents who did everything right. They interviewed the sitter, they got references and they did their homework and research by all accounts ... but she abused this young child and the reason we were able to prove it is because the parents had the foresight to install a camera."
"You left home with a live baby and come home with a dead baby," said Influence Salubi, the victim's father, while appearing in court. "It’s not something I can forget," he added, while the district attorney expressed their relief that justice had been served.
“We have two loving, caring and supportive parents who did all the right things when looking for a caregiver for their children. Our hearts and prayers continue to be with the family. I am just grateful that we were able to get some measure of justice for baby Enita and her family."
In total, Oluremi Adeleye was found guilty of the charges of second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in death and second-degree child abuse. Adeleye, who is a mother of five and grandmother of 10, will face the courts again on May 6, where she will learn her true fate and the extent of her sentencing.
