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Left to right: Kandie Meinhart, Maurice Davis (George W. Hill Correctional Facility).
A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to prison for his involvement in the tragic murder of his girlfriend’s 18-month-old daughter. The toddler was discovered with severe injuries, including knuckle marks and lacerations to her adrenal gland and liver, indicative of a brutal beating.
Authorities found Li’Aziah Thomas “cold to the touch, without a pulse, and showing signs of rigor mortis” at her mother’s Chester residence on January 20, 2021, as detailed in an arrest affidavit accessed by the Delaware County Daily Times.
Following the arrival of law enforcement, a witness reported overhearing the mother, Kandie Meinhart, make a phone call to Li’Aziah’s father, during which she bluntly stated, “Your b— is dead,” indicating that she and her boyfriend, Maurice Davis, had fatally assaulted the child.
Maurice Davis, aged 34, received a prison sentence ranging from 24 1/2 to 50 years last week. He entered a no-contest plea to charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and conspiracy to commit third-degree murder. In July 2024, Meinhart, also 34, was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to the same charges, in addition to third-degree murder.
Prosecutors revealed that although Meinhart admitted to delivering the fatal blow to Li’Aziah, Davis significantly participated in the physical abuse that left the young girl vulnerable, occurring in the apartment they shared.
“The weakening of this poor baby due to the defendant’s actions and his ongoing actions, allowing Kandie Meinhart to do what she did and remaining in that conspiracy, is why we’re here today,” Delaware County First Assistant District Attorney Kristen Kemp told the court at Davis’ sentencing, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“And it’s why instead of being a 6-year-old who is about to finish her first-grade year, Li’Aziah Thomas is in a box in the home of her family,” Kemp said.
Court records obtained by the Delco Times say Li’Aziah was likely dead for four to five hours before police were called to the couple’s apartment. She died from blunt-force trauma, which caused lacerations to her liver and right adrenal gland, and damaged blood vessels in the bowel, resulting in internal bleeding.
Li’Aziah had bruises and knuckle marks on the sides of her body and buttocks. Davis’ own defense attorney described Meinhart as “the devil” at his sentencing.
“I think that’s one thing the commonwealth and I can agree on,” attorney Michael Malloy said, as he blamed Meinhart for Li’Aziah’s death. “Her actions are just hard to understand,” Malloy told the court, alleging that Meinhart was abusive prior to meeting Davis, according to The Inquirer.
Three other children were living in the home with Davis and Meinhart at the time of Li’Aziah’s death, with prosecutors saying they abused them as well. Davis was accused of punching the children in their chests and dangling one of them over a staircase.
“I really am sorry,” Davis told the court during his sentencing. “I wish I could really tell you what happened, but I can’t,” he said. “I understand y’all have a job to do. [Li’Aziah] needs justice, but at end of the day I’m going through it, too.”