A judge sentenced Amanda Hickey to 35 years, with 30 years to be served behind bars and five on probation. A grand jury indicted Hickey on murder charges last year after a 4-month-old child was found dead in his crib on Feb. 3, 2021, at her Little Lovey home day care.
Investigators said the infant was placed down for his nap on his stomach – which is against a medical recommendation for a child of his age. Video obtained shows the child was left unsupervised for over two hours before he was found.
Throughout the investigation, authorities said they also uncovered other alleged abuse against six other victims involving children six months to 16 months old. Hickey is accused of holding a 7-month-old with one hand by the leg and letting go of him while he was upside down, causing the child to fall on his face, records show. In another incident, investigators said Hickey also grabbed a 14-month-old by the hair forcing them to lay down, according to a warrant.
Little Lovey was licensed to care for a maximum of six children but was operating at nearly double capacity on the date of the alleged incidents. The facility is no longer in operation.
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