On March 18, 2020, Felix Duane Johnson, age 27, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend’s 11-month-old baby. Johnson was babysitting for his girlfriend on December 17 last year while she was away at work. He failed to follow safety information all about baby bathing.
Johnson was indicted on January 7, 2020, on the charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the child who drowned in the bathtub while he was supposed to supervising the baby. He appeared before a judge on March 18 and entered a guilty plea.
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Failing to Perform Baby Health Checks Ends in Tragedy
In the federal court appearance on March 18, 2020, the Agency Village, South Dakota, man admitted that he was responsible for the death of the child and that the baby died as a result of his negligence and lack of caution in failing to perform baby health checks while the child was in the bathtub.
In a statement, Johnson said that he kept having a feeling that he needed to perform baby health checks while the child was in the bathtub. However, he failed to pay attention to baby advice websites, bathing tips we can follow and need to follow to assure baby safety.
Despite getting the feeling that he should check on the child, he became distracted by his mobile phone and failed in his duty to keep the child safe from harm. The baby subsequently drowned in the bathtub.
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Facing Jail and Fines
Johnson faces up to eight years in prison for the death of the child and could also be ordered to pay fines of up to $250,000. At least with his pleading guilty, the family and the court system will be spared having to go to trial because of his failure to do easy baby health checks while the child was in the tub. Upon pleading guilty during the indictment hearing, he was immediately taken into custody. The FBI investigated the case but at this time the reason is unclear.
This is another tragic example of an adult leaving a child unsupervised while the child is in the bathtub. Baby health checks actually should not be necessary when a child is in the bathtub because the adult should never leave the baby’s presence. The adult should never leave the child alone. While the child is in the bathtub, everything else can wait.
