A mother accused of starving her daughter to death will not be facing jail time, according to a recent sentencing.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Porscha Danielle Mickens, 31 of Buford, was sentenced to 20 years of probation after entering an open-ended plea on Monday to second-degree murder and child cruelty charges.
Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh told AccessWDUN the state asked for a total of thirty years, with 25 of those being in jail, and the other five on probation.
Superior Court Judge C. Andrew Fuller said that the evidence did not warrant prison time.
The 5-year-old Buford girl, Kylie Mickens, weighed approximately seven pounds when she died in June 2020, and her parents were arrested in connection to her death.
Jerrail Maurice Mickens and Porsha Danielle Mickens were arrested at their Rustic Pine Lane home, each charged with felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children, according to the Hall County Sheriff's Office.
An official with the Hall County Sheriff's Office said the parents brought her to the hospital for help on June 7, 2020, but it was too late.
Due to her weight and overall condition, hospital workers contacted the Sheriff's Office and the Hall County Division of Family and Children Services. She was airlifted to CHOA.
Kylie died on June 8 at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, just one day after she was brought to the hospital. "And that’s when the sheriff’s office began the investigation with interviews, a search warrant at the home, as well as an autopsy by the GBI. The Department of Family and Children Services was also involved," says Booth.
The investigation, along with the autopsy, led to the eventual arrest of her parents.
The defense argued that the girl suffered from a rare medical condition that caused her weight loss. The defense said that she was born with a chromosomal deficiency that made it difficult for her to eat and drink and prevented her from gaining weight. The condition is known as 1p36 deletions syndrome, a rare disorder that causes intellectual disability, weak muscle and trouble swallowing.
The prosecution said the autopsy showed she died from malnutrition not related to her medical condition.
The girl’s father, Jerrail Maurice Mickens, was also arrested and charged, but he died in a motorcycle accident in Nov. 2021.
