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Home > Blogs > Greene County News > Archives > 2009 > December > 08 > Entry
Man pleads guilty, no contest in child’s beating death
XENIA — The man accused in the beating death of a two-year-old Fairborn girl, Juliana Berry, entered guilty and no contest pleas Tuesday, Dec. 8, to charges that could bring him up to 25 years in prison.
Brian LaPrairie, 233 Pat Lane, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, child endangering, drug trafficking and a weapons charge. Prosecutors dropped more serious allegations of murder and felonious assault.
Common Pleas Court Judge Stephen A. Wolaver revoked LaPrairie’s bond of $250,000 and sent him to the county jail while a pre-sentencing investigation is completed. Prosecutor Stephen K. Haller said his sentencing recommendation would fit the severity of the crimes.
LaPrairie, who spoke in court only to answer the judge’s questions, faces mandatory prison time for the involuntary manslaughter charge and Judge Wolaver told him, “the court, in all probability, will impose a prison term on the remaining counts.”
The plea bargain comes almost a year after LaPrairie made a frantic call to Fairborn police dispatchers Dec. 27, but not 911, because his girlfriend’s daughter Juliana Berry was unresponsive. Berry’s mother, Malak Deek, returned home from work to find her daughter being taken to Children’s Medical Center Dayton in an ambulance.
Berry never regained consciousness and died two days later. An autopsy found she suffered from “Battered Baby,” which is characterized by repeated abuse.
Prosecutors tried Deek in September and alleged that abuse came at the hands of LaPrairie, who caused injuries to Juliana including a skull fracture, lacerated liver and broken ribs and arms. A mistrial was declared after jurors split their verdict with 10 believing Deek was guilty, one believing she was not and one undecided. The jury also fould Deek not guilty of a drug charge.
After the hung jury Haller said he would try Deek again for child endangering, involuntary manslaughter and other charges because “justice for Juliana” demanded it. “What happened today is we made a step in seeing justice for Juliana Amina Berry,” Haller said.
At trial Deek repeatedly denied she knew her little girl was being abused and blamed some of her daughter’s injuries on a fall and other accidents. Her case is expected to come back to court next year. LaPrairie’s trial on murder, felonious assault, child endangering, involuntary manslaughter, drug and weapons charges was set to begin Friday, Dec. 11. He will be sentenced Jan. 7
