Trial Opens for Baltimore Father Charged in Death of Daughter, 2, in Hot Car

A Baltimore father went on trial Thursday for second-degree murder in the death of his 2-year-old daughter, who was left for 16 hours in a hot car.

Assistant State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess told jurors that 32-year-old Wilbert Leon Carter decided to drink, and continue drinking, while his daughter, Leasia Carter, was with him. He passed out and forgot about her, leaving her strapped to her car seat on a day when outside temperatures reached 89 degrees, Leitess said.

“We’re here today because Wilbert Carter placed his needs above the needs of his own child,” Leitess said. “The defendant didn’t take her home to brush her teeth and put on her pajamas. Leasia was left behind in a car.”

“There are tragic accidents we hear about every day,” Leitess said. “This is no tragic accident. This was no mere mistake.”

 

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