LILYANNA WIRICK - 1 month - Annapolis MD

A Pasadena man pleaded guilty yesterday to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the January death of his 1-month-old daughter.

32-year-old John Wayne Wirick Jr. pleaded
guilty Monday to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the January death
of his 1-month-old daughter.

The plea drastically cut the prison time 32-year-old John Wayne
Wirick Jr. could face - from 30 years for second-degree murder to 10
years - when he is sentenced Oct. 2 in county Circuit Court in
Annapolis.Prosecutors said they offered Wirick the plea
agreement in the Jan. 15 death of Lilyanna Alora Wirick because there
was no intent to kill."The facts of the case and the record of
the defendant did not support (a plea to) the top count," said Kristin
Fleckenstein, a spokeswoman for the State's Attorney Office. "We don't
feel there was an intent to kill."District Public Defender William Davis, Wirick's defense attorney, declined to comment prior to sentencing.Wirick's attorneys had planned to argue that county police detectivescoerced
their client into confessing during a three-hour interrogation during
which they said officers never read Wirick his Miranda rights.According
to prosecutors and court records, Wirick and his wife, Jamie Lynn Wade,
took Lilyanna, who had a low body temperature, to Baltimore Washington
Medical Center in Glen Burnie on Jan. 9. The girl was later transferred
to Johns Hopkins Children's Center in a deep coma, where doctors
determined she had significant brain injuries.Assistant State's
Attorney Kathy Rogers said Wirick initially told police he didn't know
how Lilyanna was injured. During a three-hour interview - during which
officers informed Wirick he was allowed to leave at any time - Wirick
first admitted only that he "bounced" the child in his hands and
occasionally threw her in the air and caught her. Later, he told
officers he had tripped over a cat while carrying Lilyanna and almost
dropped her.One hour and 45 minutes into the interview, Wirick
broke down and said he "bounced" Lilyanna too hard while trying to calm
her down. He said she was fussing and kept crying and that he bounced
her harder until he realized what he was doing and stopped.Wirick eventually wrote a letter of apology to his daughter."I guess I don't know my strength," he wrote, according to Rogers. "I was having a bad day."Rogers
said an autopsy found Lilyanna suffered "global brain swelling" and
that her body showed no sign of impact - injuries that suggested she
was shaken to death. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
determined that the child died from head trauma and that the manner of
death was homicide.Davis stressed in court that doctors at
Hopkins performed a lumbar puncture on Lilyanna before conducting a CAT
scan. He argued that was counter to standard medical procedure and that
the lumbar puncture could have contributed to the child's death.Still,
Wirick acknowledged yesterday in court that he was the one who shook
Lilyanna and sent her to the hospital, resulting in her death.Police
arrested Wirick Jan. 12 at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, three days
before his daughter died at the hospital. He was charged with
first-degree child abuse and several other crimes.Police added second-degree murder and other more serious charges Jan. 19 after Lilyanna died and the autopsy was completed.According
to state law, second-degree murder is when a person either intended to
kill someone or intended to hurt someone so badly that death would be
the likely result. It carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.Manslaughter
is a killing by someone who acted without premeditation or willfulness.
It carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.Wirick, who
was released from the Jennifer Road Detention Center April 15 after
three months, was allowed yesterday to return home with his wife. At
the same time, Circuit Court Judge Paul A. Hackner gave Wirick more
freedom than he had had since his arrest.Until he is sentenced
in six weeks, Wirick - who has no prior criminal convictions and has
never failed to appear for a criminal or traffic case - must only
report to his probation agent and abide by all laws.