Athiyan Sivakumar was 19 months old at the time of his death.
By Raif Karerat
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An Indian American babysitter charged with causing the death of a toddler was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in a plea-bargain that will see her serve 14 years in prison.
Kinjal Patel, 29, is scheduled to be sentenced October 29 in the death of Athiyan Sivakumar, who was 19 months old when he died at Yale-New Haven Hospital Jan. 19, 2014. His injuries had been sustained three days earlier while he was under Patel’s care.
The New Haven Register reports that 29-year-old Kinjal Patel entered a plea under the Alford Doctrine. That means she does not agree with the state’s case, but concedes there is enough evidence to secure her conviction.
While Patel’s attorney claims that young Sivakumar’s injuries were caused by negligence and that there “was zero intent on [Patel’s] part to harm this child, the police warrant told a different tale entirely.
According to the authorities, Patel told police several versions of what had occurred before ultimately stating that after the toddler gave Patel a hard time about eating rice and spat water in her face, Patel picked up the boy and slammed his feet onto the kitchen floor about three times, then shook his head back and forth. The warrant quoted her saying she then pushed the boy in the face and he fell backward, hitting his head.
Under the agreement, the second charge attributed to Patel in the case, risk of injury to a minor, will be nixed.
The boy’s parents also face charges in the case, according to The Register. His father, Sivakumar Mani, 35, and mother, Thenmozhi Rajendran, 26, have been charged with risk of injury to a child and interfering with an officer:
They were charged because they allegedly lied to detectives about what happened the night their boy was injured. Rajendran allegedly told police initially that she was taking care of her son when she noticed his breathing was abnormal. Then she reportedly said he had fallen while reaching for a doorknob. Mani allegedly backed up his wife’s “abnormal breathing” story.
In addition, police said the boy had been brought to the hospital Dec. 24, 2013, because of facial injuries. Hospital staffers duly notified the state Department of Children and Families that it was a possible risk-of-injury case, and a subsequent investigation determined Patel had been taking care of the boy that day as well.
2 Comments
Kinjil made a big mistake maybe she had some psychiatric issues so she should be forgiven and kept under watch but putting her in jail for 14 years will not be in the best interest of anyone because no amount of punishment will ease the pain of parents or bring the child back to life. I would humbly request to give her limited freedom so she could pay back to society by dedicating her life and time for a noble cause. I feel very sorry for her, for the child’s parents, for judges who have to punish real people for their crimes and all our society. I am pretty sure she would be the responsible girl. Kindly forgive her.
Investigate everyone in US with last name Patel. I am sure 99% of them will be imvolved in some crime, fraud, or illegal activities.