Parents plead guilty to manslaughter in daughter’s death
A Point Marion couple accused of neglecting their infant daughter who died of dehydration and malnourishment each entered guilty pleas Friday to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of children.
In exchange for the pleas, Tammy Bohon, 37, and Robert Dodson, 57, will each spend 4 1/2 to 9 years behind bars in connection with the child’s Jan. 5, 2011, death.
Both acknowledged to Fayette County Judge Steve P. Leskinen that they knew Madison Dodson, 15 months, was very sick, but did nothing to help her.
Dodson, represented by attorney Jack W. Connor, admitted that he went to sleep knowing his daughter was ill, and Bohon, represented by attorney Dianne Zerega, told the judge that she knew how ill her daughter was and left their home.
Dodson said that when he woke up, his daughter was dead.
Both told the jurist that they understood that pleading guilty could possibly lead to them permanently lose custody of their remaining seven children, the youngest of whom is 4. All of them have been in the care of Children and Youth Services since Bohon and Dodson were arrested.
“The loss of parental rights to a child is very serious,” Leskinen said. “I want you to be aware of that possibility.”
Each said they understood, but still wanted to go through with the guilty plea.
Both were charged with a general count of criminal homicide, which includes both murder and manslaughter charges. The involuntary manslaughter plea offered by District Attorney Jack R. Heneks Jr. includes conduct that is reckless and criminally negligent.
State police charged that Robert Dodson left Madison Dodson to sleep on the living room floor of their home amongst animal feces and garbage while Bohon was out smoking crack cocaine in Masontown.
Madison Dodson’s pediatrician previously testified that the baby had medical issues, including a developmental problem with one of her lungs and a need to get some food through a feeding tube, but said the baby would not have required an inordinate amount of care.
At the baby’s last doctor visit, a month before she died, the 15-month-old weighed a little more than 15 pounds, according to preliminary hearing testimony.
Both will be sentenced at a later date, and are incarcerated at the county prison.