To avoid a murder retrial, an Alpine man pleaded guilty June 7 to child endangerment in the death of his ex-girlfriend’s toddler.
Wiliey Kevin Foster Jr., 28, was immediately sentenced to seven years in state prison by El Cajon Superior Court Judge Robert Amador.
A murder charge was dismissed after Foster pleaded guilty to child endangerment in the death of Leah Rose Brown-Meza.
To avoid a murder retrial, an Alpine man pleaded guilty June 7 to child endangerment in the death of his ex-girlfriend’s toddler.
Wiliey Kevin Foster Jr., 28, was immediately sentenced to seven years in state prison by El Cajon Superior Court Judge Robert Amador.
A murder charge was dismissed after Foster pleaded guilty to child endangerment in the death of Leah Rose Brown-Meza.
Foster admitted to personally causing the fatal injury to the girl who was 18 months old when her mother found her dead in an Alpine mobile home on Dec. 6, 2016.
Her mother, Lillie Golden Brown, now 23, of Alpine, is serving a four-year prison term after pleading guilty to the same charge of child endangerment.
The toddler’s father, Robert Meza, and about 22 other relatives and friends were present to watch the sentencing. Meza wore a black T-shirt that depicted his daughter under the heading Daddy’s Little Angel.
Amador ordered Foster to pay $13,908 in restitution to Meza and $1,548.50 to others. Foster shares this order with Brown.
“Mr. Foster was looking at 25 years in prison in which he would have served 25 years before he could be released,” said Jan Ronis, his attorney, in explaining why he pleaded guilty to child endangerment.
“He loved the child and is sad the child died,” said Ronis. “He was devastated by the child’s death.”
Brown blamed Foster for the death and testified against him, but jurors took 12 ballots before declaring themselves hopelessly deadlocked Feb. 28. A majority favored acquittal.
A video from a deputy’s body worn camera showed Brown’s arrest on Feb. 3 this year when she was intoxicated in public and repeatedly blaming Foster for the child’s death. She was also arrested for misdemeanor battery.
Foster received credit for 1,092 days in jail which includes good behavior. Ronis said Foster and Brown will probably be paroled about the same time because Foster has been in jail since December 2016.
“At least we got some justice for her,” said the toddler’s grandmother, Teresa Cousins.
“Its not as much as we would like to have,” said attorney Jan Goldsmith, who represented the girl’s family. “She would have been three years old last Sunday. Her spirit will live on.”
Deputy District Attorney Chantal de Mauregne made the motion to dismiss the murder charge after Foster pleaded guilty to child endangerment.
The judge said both Foster and Brown were negligent in not taking the girl to a hospital for a broken arm before her death. She also suffered from a burned foot from getting too close to a space heater.
“That lack of compassion, that lack of caring is something this court can’t understand,” said Amador, who added “This court does believe…this is a fair resolution of this matter.”
Brown and Foster lived with the toddler in a mobile home on the property of Foster’s parents in Alpine, although he spent many nights in his parents’ home.
