Navy wife admits to killing infant daughter

<p>A woman has pleaded guilty in the 2002 slaying of her 4-month-old daughter, who was originally found to have died of natural causes.</p><p>Nina Manning, 27, admitted in federal court Thursday to smothering her daughter, then putting the infant in a closet inside their naval housing unit at Moanalua on Sept. 30, 2002.</p><p>"Several of my actions _ namely putting my hand over my daughter's mouth _ led to her death," Manning told U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright. "I wasn't trying to hurt her, but I did."</p><p>In 2005, the family had moved to St. Marys, Ga., where Manning's Navy husband was reassigned. Navy investigators then interviewed Manning, obtaining a confession.</p><p>At the time of the death, Manning's husband had been deployed. Manning was left at home with the infant and the couple's older daughter, who was 13 months old then.</p><p>Assistant U.S. Attorney Loretta Sheehan told the court that Manning knew her daughter had been gravely harmed and needed medical attention. But instead of getting help, she placed the infant on the floor in the closet, smoked a cigarette, then went to sleep.</p><p>A Honolulu deputy medical examiner concluded the infant died of natural causes after finding a minor lung infection. In October 2004, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service requested that the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology take another look.</p><p>Investigators found that "circumstantial findings are strongly supportive of asphyxia as a mechanism of death."</p><p>Manning told investigators that she had been upset because of the baby's incessant crying.</p><p>Defense attorney Richard Kawana said Manning is extremely remorseful and continues to receive therapy. Manning remains free on bail until her sentencing Jan. 22.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2dea2b4)</p>

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