Connecticut Babysitter Found Guilty in Death of 19-Month-Old Boy: 'This Was a Horrible, Tragic Accident,' Lawyer Says

A Connecticut babysitter was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the death of a 19-month-old boy under her care.

Kinjal Patel, 29, entered an Alford plea, which is done when a defendant does not agree with the state’s case but concedes that there is enough evidence for a conviction.

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Authorities said Patel admitted to becoming angry with Athiyan Sivakumar and pushing him, which caused him to fall back and strike his head on Jan. 16, 2014, the Associated Press reports.

The boy died at Yale-New Haven Hospital three days later. Athiyan’s death was ultimately deemed a homicide, with the cause of death ruled as blunt force trauma with multiple sites of impact.

Patel’s attorney, Kevin Smith, maintains that the incident was an accident. “There was zero intent on her part to harm this child,” Smith said, according to The New Haven Register. “This was a horrible, tragic accident, probably due to her lack of experience with small children and not knowing how to handle these types of situations.”

But police said Patel changed her story about what happened several times before finally confessing that she snapped after he spit water in her face.

Patel allegedly admitted that she picked the boy up and slammed him down, then shook him before pushing him in the face.

She will serve 14 years in prison for her role in the boy’s death. Prior to her plea, she faced up to 30 years.

The boy’s parents also face charges in the case for allegedly lying to officers about what had happened. His mother, Thenmozhi Rajendran, allegedly told police that she had been watching her son when she noticed his breathing was abnormal. The boy’s father, Sivakumar Mani, backed up that story.

The parents, who are charged with risk of injury to a child and interfering with an officer, have pleaded not guilty.