Insets, left to right: Amber Winstead (Kentucky Online Offender Lookup) and Ki'Arri Rayne Winstead (Louisville Memorial Gardens). Background: Motel 6 in Louisville, Kentucky, where Ki'Arri drowned (Google Maps).
A Kentucky woman is headed to prison for nearly a decade after she took a bath with her 3-month-old son on New Year's Day while under the influence of drugs and fell asleep, causing the boy to drown.
Amber Winstead, 36, was sentenced Thursday to nine years behind bars after she pleaded guilty in November to manslaughter in the death of Ki'Arri Rayne Winstead, who died at a motel in Louisville on Jan. 1. Prosecutors told Law&Crime Winstead will serve seven years for manslaughter, plus another two years for a parole violation from a 2021 narcotics possession case. She is required to serve 85 percent of her manslaughter sentence before she is eligible for parole.
As Law&Crime previously reported, cops responded to a Motel 6 on Airport Hotel Boulevard around 4:30 a.m. where they found an unresponsive infant. They later learned Winstead got into the bath with the boy and fell asleep. Hours later, someone woke up Winstead. Ki'Arri was submerged in the water and not breathing. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
As part of the plea agreement, a persistent felony offender charge was dropped, according to local Fox affiliate WDRB.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Winstead was arrested in the funeral home parking lot, moments before her son was laid to rest, her attorney said. Bryce Dean said his client would like to be on house arrest before she is sentenced.
"She would like to visit her child's grave. She would like to have just a little bit of closure before she goes to DOC," Dean said, per CBS affiliate WLKY.
Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Trish Morris said she would consider the request, saying she has "obvious empathy" for the defendant. It's unclear if Winstead was able to see her son's grave before her sentence.
"The situation is tragic all around," the judge reportedly said.
Ki'Arri's obituary said he was born to his "loving mother" on Sept. 24, 2024.
"Ki'Arri was a little angel, a miracle baby whose bubbly personality and infectious joy lit up every room he entered. He was a precious bundle of happiness, always calm and content, bringing peace to those around him. He never cried, and his gentle, happy demeanor made him a perfect little guy who was loved deeply by his family," the obituary said.
