A Duluth man will spend the rest of his life in prison.
He was found guilty of the brutal 2021 murder of a 2-year-old girl he was babysitting in Gwinnett County.
On May 2, 2024, a Gwinnett County jury convicted 27-year-old Mallik Kyhree Kennedy of malice murder.
He was also found guilty of felony murder, aggravated battery, and first-degree cruelty to children in connection with the death of Trinity Kyles.
The conviction came exactly three years after the tragic incident.
In May 2021, Trinity’s mother, who was Kennedy’s girlfriend at the time, asked him to babysit the toddler while she went to work.
When she returned to the hotel room they were staying in, she found her daughter unresponsive and not breathing.
Despite the fire department’s efforts to revive the child, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initially, Kennedy told Trinity’s mother that he had given the toddler melatonin to help her sleep.
However, when the mother discovered bruises on her daughter's cheeks, she pressed Kennedy for more answers.
He eventually confessed to pinching the toddler’s cheeks for "misbehaving."
The autopsy revealed that Trinity had suffered multiple injuries.
This included bruises with fingernail impressions on her cheeks, a swollen forehead, and bruises across her body.
Investigators determined that Kennedy had slammed the child’s head against the headboard in the hotel room.
This made her to lose consciousness.
When the toddler woke up two hours later, Kennedy violently shook her until she passed out again.
Disturbingly, Instead of seeking help, Kennedy reportedly watched as Trinity had a seizure and wiped blood from her mouth.
He then continued to drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, and play video games.
He also scrolled through social media, all while Trinity lay dying in the same room.
At trial, prosecutors presented evidence that painted a chilling picture of Kennedy’s actions on the day of the murder.
He failed to contact the girl's mother or emergency services, leading to her death.
On the anniversary of Trinity's death, the jury deliberated and found Kennedy guilty.
The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“We continue to grieve with Trinity’s family for this senseless loss,” said Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson.
“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.”
Trinity Kyles would have celebrated her fifth birthday this year, a milestone forever lost due to this horrific act of violence.
In another case, a man beheaded his father and shockingly displayed the severed head on YouTube.
Click here for more details on that case.
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