BOSTON, July 13, 2018—The stepmother of 3-year-old Kenai Whyte today admitted to causing his death two years ago, pleading guilty rather than face a jury, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

MARIA BUIE, 28, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for physically assaulting the toddler in her home and causing the injuries that led to his death two days later. At prosecutors’ request, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins sentenced her to a term of nine to 12 years in state prison. Buie had been indicted for second-degree murder and was scheduled to go to trial next week.

Before imposing the sentence, Wilkins heard from some of those who loved the child most.

“I heard his first heartbeat, heard his first cry, saw him gaze into my eyes and smile for the first time,” Kenai’s mother told the court. “Kenai was a sweet, kind, gentle, happy little boy. If he saw someone else upset, that person became his concern and when he made them happy in return it made him happy.”

The little boy’s grandmother also addressed the packed courtroom.

“I think God for the three and a half years He gave me with Kenai,” she said. “For the memories, the love, and the hugs. He was my best buddy, my first grand, he was the focus of my life and he left a void that can never be filled …. When you get out, you will be able to watch your daughter do all the things that we won’t be able to see Kenai do. So please take this time to be a better you, to fix you in all the areas of your life so that you can be a productive member of society when you return to our community. We all need second chances so take this second chance to be a better you. I have to forgive you because God has forgiven me; you are the mother of my granddaughter so with that being said, God have mercy on your soul.”

Boston Police and Boston EMS responded to a 911 call from Buie’s Alpine Street residence on the night of Jan. 31, 2016, to find him injured and unresponsive. He died at Boston Medical Center on March 2. An autopsy revealed bruising, contusions, and scratches; the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that his death was caused by “blunt impact and acceleration and deceleration of the head and neck.”

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorneys Craig Iannini and Brenna Flynn would have sought to prove that Buie was the only person who could have caused the injuries. Though there were no witnesses to the assault, any events leading up to it, or its aftermath, evidence suggests that the child had been healthy and free of injuries earlier that same day.

Whyte’s death at the hands of a caretaker was a tragic reminder of the death 11 years earlier of 4-year-old Dontel Jeffers, fatally assaulted by a foster mother who was later indicted for second-degree murder. A Suffolk Superior Court jury convicted her of involuntary manslaughter and she was sentenced to eight to 12 years in prison.

Jennifer Sears was the DA’s victim-witness advocate. Buie was represented by attorney Christopher Belezos.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt