Grand Prairie, TX (WBAP/KLIF) – The trial of a Grand Prairie man accused of beating a 4-year old child to death over two years ago starts today.
36-year old Charles Phifer is charged with brutally beating his girlfriend’s daughter, Leiliana Wright, with a belt and a bamboo stick on March 12, 2016.
The mother, 32-year old Jeri Quezada took a plea deal, admitting to her role in her daughter’s death, and agreed to testify against Phifer.
Quezada initially faced life in prison, will serve at least 25 years of a 50-year prison sentence as part of the deal.
From his jail cell Phifer proclaimed his innocence, telling WFAA-TV, “I didn’t do it. Anyone who knows me knows I wouldn’t do that to a child.”
Phifer claims to have been in a drug-induced stupor for much of the day in question, having allegedly done heroin with Quezada earlier in the day.
He says that when he woke up he saw the badly injured child.
Meantime, Quezada’s mother had appealed desperately to CPS to get her grand-daughter away from her mother.
Jeri Quezada pleading guilty to injury to a child – for beating death of her 4-year old daughter Leiliana Wright in 2016. @wfaachannel8 pic.twitter.com/P0aN0QgiTq
— David Goins (@dgoins) July 19, 2017
They both charged with felony injury to a child. The child was allegedly killed because she drank her little brother’s juice.
(Copyright 2018 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from the WFAA-TV)