Stepmother admits she beat Roxbury toddler to death

Maria Buie, 28, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter today rather than face trial on charges she beat Kenai Whyte, 3, so badly that he died, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins sentenced her to 9 to 12 years in prison, the DA's office reports. She had been scheduled to go on trial next week for second-degree murder, which could have meant a sentence of life.

According to the DA's office:

Boston Police and Boston EMS responded to a 911 call from Buie’s Alpine Street residence on the night of Jan. 31, 2016, to find him injured and unresponsive. He died at Boston Medical Center on March 2. An autopsy revealed bruising, contusions, and scratches; the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that his death was caused by “blunt impact and acceleration and deceleration of the head and neck.”

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorneys Craig Iannini and Brenna Flynn would have sought to prove that Buie was the only person who could have caused the injuries. Though there were no witnesses to the assault, any events leading up to it, or its aftermath, evidence suggests that the child had been healthy and free of injuries earlier that same day.