Babysitter sentenced to life for murder of 2-year-old Gwinnett County girl
Mallik Kyhree Kennedy
DULUTH, Ga. - A Duluth man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2021 murder of a 2-year-old girl who he was babysitting.
On May 2, a Gwinnett County jury found 27-year-old Mallik Kyhree Kennedy guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated battery, and first-degree cruelty to children.
Exactly three years before his conviction, the mother of 2-year-old Trinity Kyles asked Kennedy, who was her boyfriend at the time, to watch the girl while she went to work.
When the woman returned to her hotel room, she found her daughter unresponsive and not breathing and called 911.
The fire department attempted to revive the child, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said the child had several bruises on the cheeks with finger and fingernail impressions, a swollen forehead and bruises on the body.
Originally, investigators say Kennedy told the victim's mother that he had just given the toddler melatonin to help her sleep, but later confessed that he pinched her when she allegedly misbehaved.
Evidence at the trial told a different story. Prosecutors say that Kennedy slammed the toddler's head against the headboard of the bed until she became unconscious. When she woke up, he violently shook her until he passed out again. He then watched as she had a seizure and wiped the blood off of her mouth.
While the girl was lying in the room, officials say Kennedy never tried to call her mother or seek any emergency medical aid. Instead, officials say he drank alcohol, smoked marijuana, played video games, and went on social media.
"We continue to grieve with Trinity’s family for this senseless loss," Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. "Although this verdict and sentencing cannot replace this little girl’s future or quell her family’s pain, our hope is that it brings them justice and provides them with some solace."
After the jury returned with their guilty verdict, a judge sentenced Kennedy to life in prison without the possibility of parole.