Babysitter Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter 40 Years After Shaking Baby Boy in 1984, Ultimately Leading to His Death
Terry McKirchy violently shook Benjamin Dowling, who died in 2019, when he was 6 months old
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Terry McKirchy; Benjamin DowlingA woman has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the death of a man she violently shook when he was a baby — 35 years before.
Terry McKirchy was babysitting 6-month-old Benjamin Dowling on July 3, 1984, when prosecutors in Florida say she shook him. McKirchy was 22 at the time, NBC News reported.
Dowling suffered from “shaken baby syndrome” and a cerebral edema, leaving him permanently disabled and eventually leading to his death, according to a plea memo reviewed by PEOPLE. He died in September 2019.
Two years later, McKirchy was indicted by a Broward County grand jury on a charge of felony murder and plea deal negotiations began not long after, prosecutors say.
McKirchy faced attempted murder charges in the immediate aftermath of the incident. In 1985, she pleaded no contest to attempted murder and aggravated battery of a child, but served fewer than three years probation.
A spokesperson for the Broward County State’s Attorney tells PEOPLE that McKirchy entered a guilty plea on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
As part of her plea agreement, McKirchy will serve 36 months behind bars, with credit for time served. Her incarceration will be followed by 10 years of probation, according to the memo.
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McKirchy is also required to write an apology letter as well as a detailed description of her actions in July 1984.
According to the plea memo, Dowling’s parents specifically requested the letter as part of any resolution.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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