The Columbus Dispatch reports 30-year-old Michael McDaniel was sentenced Monday in a Franklin County court after entering an Alford plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault and child endangering in Layla Malone’s death. The plea bargain allowed McDaniel to avoid a life-sentence if convicted of the most serious charge.
McDaniel’s plea doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him. Defense attorney Adam Nemann confirmed the plea and sentence but declined to comment further Tuesday.
The child’s mother called 911 on Nov. 6, 2013, to report her daughter was unresponsive at their Columbus apartment.
Prosecutors say Layla was covered in bruises, with bleeding on her brain. The mother said she left her in McDaniel’s care. The mother subsequently pled guilty for her role in the child's death.
