CLINTON, La. (AP) — The parents of a mentally-challenged woman who died from neglect on a maggot-infested couch in their Louisiana home each received a 20-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
Clay and Sheila Fletcher both sobbed over the death of their daughter, Lacey Ellen Fletcher, 36, when they appeared Wednesday before state District Judge Kathy Jones. They admitted they could have done more to help their child, The Advocate reported.
“Of all the things I can say about this case, the one thing that keeps coming to mind is that Clay and Sheila Fletcher continually chose the path of least resistance when it came to the care of their daughter,” the judge said after listening to more than six hours of testimony from 11 witnesses.
Authorities noted Lacey was diagnosed with social anxiety and autism. According to testimony Wednesday, she also grappled with a severe case of agoraphobia — fearing and avoiding places or situations that might cause panic and feelings of being trapped, helpless or embarrassed. Her irrational fears intensified over the years to the point that she stopped brushing her hair and teeth, wouldn’t go see a doctor and refused to venture off her family’s couch over the final months of her life.
Prosecutors described the Fletchers as their daughter’s caretakers and said she was in their custody during the yearslong span that she anchored herself to the living room couch in her family’s Slaughter home.
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The Fletchers pleaded no contest to manslaughter Feb. 5 and Jones imposed a 40-year sentence on both of them, but suspended 20 years on each of their sentences. Upon release, each was ordered to serve five years of probation.
Ruling that it was blatantly evident Lacey suffered from a severe case of mental illness and was not equipped to refuse medical attention, as her parents testified, Jones said she couldn’t excuse them for not getting their daughter the help she desperately needed.
“We can argue about whether or not this process took three months, six months or three years. I don’t really care,” Jones said moments before imposing her sentence. “This was a tragedy. The truth is that Lacey laid on a couch and slowly died because she got no medical or mental health care.”
Lacey Fletcher was found dead, sunken into a waste-filled hole in the couch on Jan. 3, 2022, investigators said. She was emaciated, weighing 96 pounds, and tested positive for COVID-19.
Authorities said Lacey was covered in maggots and sores, with several ulcers on her underside and fecal matter crushed into her face, chest and abdomen. A parish coroner ruled that she died from “acute medical neglect” inflicted over a period dating back to at least 2010.
District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla pushed for the maximum 40-year sentence. After Wednesday’s hearing, he credited the judge for a well-reasoned decision that culminated the case.
“We respect her judgment and we’re glad it’s over with,” he said. “We hope the community receives the message that this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated. Watch out for your friends, talk to your neighbors and make sure this does not happen to anybody else. It’s something that could’ve been prevented.”