SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A City Heights couple accused in the starvation death of their 3-month-old daughter was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on murder charges.
Brandon Ivan Copeland, 22, and Elizabeth Reneedawn Ucman, 23, were arrested in late 2021 shortly after police were called to their apartment for a report that the baby was unresponsive and in need of medical attention.
On Nov. 9, 2021, the child -- named in court papers as Delilah C. -- was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, and her parents were subsequently arrested, according to Lt. Andra Brown of the San Diego Police Department.
During a two-day preliminary hearing, SDPD Detective Kevin Stein testified that a deputy medical examiner concluded the child died from "starvation due to neglect."
Defense attorneys for the couple argued that their clients came from troubled upbringings that included abuse and bouts of homelessness, which left them largely incapable of caring for themselves or a child.
Copeland's attorney, Courtney Cutter, argued for at most an involuntary manslaughter charge and stated in court that the baby was "born into a home in which there were no capable adults." The attorney also argued there was culpability on the part of agencies tasked with overseeing the care of children in vulnerable situations.
"There is tragedy. There is sadness. There is failure from systems to protect children and young people," Cutter said.
Deputy District Attorney Franciesca Balerio argued that the couple had a legal duty to care for the girl and failed to act despite being aware of her declining medical condition.
Dr. Shalon Nienow, the division director of Child Abuse Pediatrics at Rady Children's Hospital, testified that investigators contacted her to provide input on whether Delilah's death stemmed from neglect.
Nienow stated that through her review of medical records, Delilah weighed three pounds and 10 ounces around the time of her death, down from around seven and a half pounds at birth.
The doctor also testified that per the records, the child saw a doctor once between Aug. 9 and the date of her death. During that visit on Sept. 20, it was observed that Delilah was dehydrated and had lost weight, prompting a doctor to recommend to the parents that Delilah be taken to an emergency department for an evaluation. Nienow said there was nothing to indicate that ever occurred.
Delilah was born on July 19 and spent much of the first month of her life in the care of Ucman's aunt, Annie Chapman.
Chapman testified that four days after the girl was born, she visited the couple's apartment and found it in disarray. She described piles of trash "up to your hips," dog feces strewn about the floor, moldy food and cockroaches.
Due to the home's condition, Chapman said she agreed to take Delilah with her until the home was cleaned. The girl ended up staying with her for the next few weeks and Chapman said Delilah's parents rarely checked on how she was doing.
At some point, Chapman and other family members brought up the idea of putting Delilah up for adoption or having Chapman take guardianship of the baby, but Ucman was resistant to the idea, according to Chapman.
The girl was returned to her parents in mid-August, Chapman testified. In the following months, she detailed concerns with Child Welfare Services "hundreds" of times regarding the conditions the girl was living in, she said, though it's unclear whether a subsequent investigation occurred.
The couple allegedly told investigators that they noticed the girl was losing weight and tried to feed her, but she kept spitting up her food, detectives testified.
SDPD Detective Kelly Thibault-Hamill, who interviewed both defendants, testified that according to the couple, Delilah was left home with Copeland on days when Ucman was working.
The detective testified that according to Copeland, he sometimes would lock himself in his bedroom and leave Delilah in a playpen in the living room all day, Thibault-Hamill testified. When she cried, he would cover her in blankets to muffle the noises or shake the playpen while she was lying in it, according to the detective.
He also allegedly told investigators that Ucman didn't feed the girl on some days or change her diaper because "she didn't feel like it," Thibault- Hamill said, though she testified that Ucman did not make a similar statement to police.
At the conclusion of the hearing, San Diego Superior Court Judge Steven Stone held Copeland and Ucman to answer on the murder charges, stating there was "sufficient evidence that the defendants both knew and understood that Delilah was starving to death and did not take action."
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