Roseville man sentenced to up to 25 years for infant's death
'Dennis Justus killed my daughter'; Roseville mom asks for maximum sentence in case of child's death
Melissa Hartley expressed great sorrow in a Mt. Clemens courtroom after a judge heard arguments regarding the sentencing of a man who pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Dennis Justus was accused of physical abuse that left 1-year-old Layla brain-dead.
MT. CLEMENS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A 28-year-old man from Roseville was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison in the death of a 1-year-old girl that died while under his care.
Dennis Wayne Justus was given between 12 ½ to 25 years after physically abusing a friend's infant daughter to the point her retinas became detached from her eyes last December. After being declared brain-dead, she was taken off life support days later.
"Not only did he take Layla's life, but he took mine," the victim's mom Melissa Hartley told the court Wednesday morning. "I don't that 12 ½ years is enough."
Hartley said she needed to be removed from her daughter's hospital room after an investigation began into allegations of child abuse. Justus, who at the time denied knowing what had caused her condition, later claimed she was injured while he was attempting to calm her down.
He was charged with involuntary manslaughter a month after Layla died.
In final remarks to the court, the defendant said he could never apologize enough and understood the court has to do what it has to do, but "I never intended to hurt Layla."
Judge James Beirnat cited Justus's previous convictions involving transporting prostitutes and said his job caring for the victim had "disaster written all over it, which is of course what happened."
Justus' attorney had argued the defendant was playing a game of "rocket ship" when the victim was injured since it was something he did when she was fussy. However, according to police reports, he failed to tell doctors what had happened when she was taken to a hospital, which delayed any procedure that could have treated her.