The mother of a three-year-old girl who was beaten to death by two boys while she went gambling last year has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Dineshia Yates, 27, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and cruelty to juveniles after her daughter, Blessing Buckles, was killed by other children while unattended.
Along with her friend Terica Scott, Yates was booked for leaving eight kids ranging in age from 11 months to 12 years old home alone at her Baton Rouge, Louisiana home.
Yates’ daughter Blessing Buckles suffered a brain bleed following an alleged attack by the juvenile suspects – who are Scott’s son, 10, and her nephew, 12.
Scott has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is expected to attend court on May 5.
East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a call about Blessing being unconscious at Scott’s home on O’Neal lane on February 12, 2024.
Deputies said a child made the call at around 3.45pm and there were no adults in the house when they arrived. Scott and Yates pulled up in the driveway shortly after.
The pair admitted that all eight children had been left home alone for several hours while they were out gambling at the casino, police said.
Two Louisiana boys aged just 10 and 12 allegedly beat three-year-old Blessing Buckles (pictured) to death in a horrific attack while their moms were gambling at a casino
Dineshia Yates (pictured), 27, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and cruelty to juveniles after her daughter, Blessing Buckles, was killed by other children while unattended
Terica Scott (pictured) said she was aware that her nephew had a history of violence
Scott also said she was aware that her nephew had a history of violence towards other children.
Yates said she had seen bruises on at least one of her daughters after they were left alone with the boy but she ‘ignored her children’s pleas for help’, according to arrest records seen by WAFB.
Scott and Yates were each charged with principal to simple battery and principal to second-degree murder over Blessing’s death.
The two boys responsible for the attack were also arrested and charged with one count each of battery and second-degree murder.
EMTs tried to resuscitate Blessing at the home before transporting to her to the hospital in a critical condition. She later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead two days later, on February 14.
Blessing suffered a brain bleed and bruising to her face and body likely to have been caused by blunt force trauma, authorities said.
At the time of her death, Yates and her children had been staying with Scott and her family, and they admitted to police that they regularly left all eight juveniles home alone to go gambling.
The pair are close friends but not related, and they both have criminal records.
Yates was previously arrested for stealing clothes from a Walmart and belongings from a home in 2017, according to WBRZ.
She also reportedly launched a brick through the windshield of another woman’s car in 2020.
Scott was charged with murder in 2021 for allegedly shooting a woman to death, but she was never indicted by a grand jury. (Pictured: her booking photo in this case)
Pictured: the house where the brutal attack took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Scott was charged with murder in 2021 for allegedly shooting a woman to death, but she was never indicted by a grand jury.
She was also charged with arson in 2023 for allegedly setting fire to a car outside someone’s home.
Witnesses said Scott tampered with security cameras to try to avoid detection, according to a WBRZ report from the time.
Her booking photo for the murder case shows her from the chest up with bare shoulders and her hair tied back. A heart-shaped tattoo is visible in the middle of her chest.
‘A case like this is devastating,’ Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said in a statement following the recent arrests.
‘My heart breaks for this child lost too soon, and I pray for the others involved. Please call law enforcement immediately if you are ever aware of abuse, neglect or desertion of children.’
