Uniontown father convicted of third-degree murder in daughter’s death
A Uniontown father was convicted of third-degree murder in the 2016 death of his 23-month-old daughter.
It took Fayette County jurors about two hours of deliberations Thursday to convict Michael Lynn Wright Jr., 35, in the case. Third-degree murder carries a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison. He was also found guilty of endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.
鈥淗er name, ladies and gentleman, was Lydia,鈥� Assistant District Attorney Melinda Dellarose said, echoing the first sentence of opening arguments as she summarized the case for jurors.
At nearly 2 years old, Lydia Wright weighed 10 pounds when she died Feb. 24, 2016, according to a forensic pathologist who listed her cause of death as malnutrition and dehydration.
The child weighed 16 pounds around the time of her first birthday. She was born premature but continuously gained weight, showing good progress, according to testimony.
鈥淪he was thriving. This little girl was a fighter,鈥� Dellarose said.
The night before the girl鈥檚 death, her mother, Andrea Dusha, strapped Lydia into a car seat in a bedroom adjacent to her father. Wright laid on a mattress with his sons for about 13 hours without checking on Lydia, according to testimony. Dellarose displayed a picture of the room for the jury. It was so filled with toys and trash; it appeared there were only a few inches of space between Lydia and the piles of trash.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the last thing she saw,鈥� Dellarose said.
Testimony indicated the girl died about two hours before Dusha took her to Uniontown Hospital. Dusha claimed her daughter had been sick but appeared OK until she suffered something like a seizure and stopped breathing.
Wright testified he would have run to Lydia if he heard her crying from the other room, but Dellarose reminded the jurors of dozens of expletive-filled text messages Wright sent Dusha demanding she take care of Lydia because the baby was 鈥渟creaming.鈥�
While prosecutors painted Wright as a father who took no interest in his daughter鈥檚 well-being, his defense team argued the pressures of parenthood got the better of him.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to tell you Mr. Wright is father of the year,鈥� said Wright鈥檚 attorney, Public Defender Jeffrey W. Whiteko. 鈥淚鈥檓 not even going to tell you he鈥檚 a good person.鈥�
He highlighted testimony from Wright鈥檚 father, Michael L. Wright Sr., and Pamela Wilson, a daycare worker at the couple鈥檚 now-shuttered methadone clinic, Addiction Specialists Inc.. Both said they saw Lydia and the couple鈥檚 two sons regularly until December 2015. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and the little girl always appeared clean and healthy, they testified.
鈥淭his child was flourishing,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 was not there on that day in question. I do not know what happened. I know the child was sick. I know she had food in her stomach,鈥� Whiteko told jurors, referring to testimony that Lydia was suffering from a stomach virus and had 鈥渁 few small particles of food鈥� in her stomach during the autopsy.
鈥淭his is tragic. But it would be equally tragic to convict based on a mistake made by these people,鈥� he argued.
According to the defense, the fall of 2015 is when things started to 鈥渟piral out of control鈥� for the couple. They were living on government assistance, and lost a portion of that in November. Around the same time, the water and sewer service at their Collins Avenue home in Uniontown was cut off. Dusha lost her insurance, and she stopped receiving methadone doses. She testified she was in withdrawal when Lydia died.
鈥淲hen things start to snowball, you pick yourself up by your bootstraps and you get stuff done,鈥� Dellarose argued.
While Dellarose acknowledged the details of the time leading up to Lydia鈥檚 death are unclear, 鈥渉er tiny little body told us everything in death.鈥� Her autopsy revealed multiple indications of dehydration and malnutrition, according to testimony.
For the first time during the four-day trial, Wright Jr. appeared nervous as he entered the courtroom to hear the verdict.
鈥淚鈥檓 innocent,鈥� he said as he was escorted to jail after it was read.
Prosecutors had asked the jury to find Wright Jr. guilty of first-degree murder, which requires a specific intent to kill with malice. Jurors also considered involuntary manslaughter, which is a death caused by gross and negligent conduct. Third-degree murder requires 鈥渆xtreme indifference to the value of human life,鈥� but does not require intent, Judge Linda Cordaro told the jury in their charge before deliberations.
Dellarose said she was pleased with the verdict.
鈥淲e believe that we did get justice for Lydia,鈥� she said.
She described the case as 鈥渄ifficult鈥� and said the prosecution team had to put their emotions aside.
鈥淲hen you see your children, put their needs above your own,鈥� she said.
Members of Lydia鈥檚 family left the courtroom in tears. Her 8-year-old brother attended portions of the trial. He and his 7-year-old brother are in the custody of family members.
Wright鈥檚 sentencing is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 24 before Cordaro.
Dusha, 29, was also charged in the case. She entered a plea to third-degree murder and agreed to testify against Wright Jr. She is expected to receive a sentence of 9 陆 to 19 years in prison next week.