Mother gets life sentence for fatal shooting of 5-year-old son at Ohio hotel

BROOKLYN, Ohio (AP) — A mother who shot and killed her 5-year-old son in an Ohio hotel after taking him there for a special day of fun was sentenced Monday to life in prison.

Daneicha Bringht, 31, of Parma, had pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and other charges as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors, who dropped charges that could have made her eligible for the death penalty. She will have to serve at least 35 years before she becomes eligible for parole.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys acknowledged that Bringht has a history of mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, a court-ordered mental health evaluation determined she was competent to stand trial.

Authorities have said Bringht took her son, Kaamir, to a hotel in Brooklyn in April 2021 so he could swim in their indoor pool. She also showered him with sweets.

However, she eventually shot the boy 11 times while they were in their room. She then called police and told them an unknown man had entered their room and shot her and her son about 30 minutes earlier, but eventually admitted to making the story up, authorities said.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting.

“I certainly understand and appreciate mental illness,” assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Anna Faraglia said during the sentencing hearing. “But the fact of the matter is that a 5-year-old boy didn’t have to die that day, and he did. For that, she will have to pay the price.”