Left to right: Brandon Copeland, Elizabeth R. Ucman, and Delilah Ucman (KNSD).
New details have been revealed in the case of a 26-year-old mother and a 25-year-old father in California accused of starving their 3-month-old infant daughter to death in late 2021.
Prosecutors last week revealed the grisly circumstances surrounding the death of baby Delilah Ucman during the trial of her parents, Brandon Copeland and Elizabeth Reneedawn Ucman, both of whom are charged with first-degree murder.
During Wednesday's opening statements, Deputy District Attorney Francesca Ballerio told jurors that the baby was healthy at birth and only died as a result of being starved and neglected by her parents, San Diego NBC affiliate KNSD reported.
"She was reduced to less than half of her birth weight," the prosecutor said. "You could see the outline of her abdominal organs," adding that what happened was "prolonged severe malnutrition."
Ballerio told the court that the baby's death "didn't happen overnight," emphasizing that Delilah weighed only 3.65 pounds when she died, the San Diego Tribune reported.
As Law&Crime previously reported, officers with the San Diego Police Department at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2021, responded to an emergency call about an unresponsive infant in a residence located in the 3300 block of Maple Street in Colina del Sol.
Upon arriving on the scene, first responders found the child was not breathing and performed CPR. Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived soon after and continued performing lifesaving procedures as they rushed the baby to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
When Delilah was born, social services determined that the parents and their filthy apartment were not fit for a newborn and gave emergency custody to Ucman's aunt. However, Delilah was returned to the couple's care after about a month, despite warnings from multiple family members that the parents were unfit due to substance abuse and mental health issues.
Prosecutors on Wednesday showed jurors a transcript of a post-arrest conversation between Ucman and Copeland, who were reportedly left alone in a room and discussed what happened to their daughter and how they were responsible.
"We're guilty as s—. We neglected her," Copeland reportedly said to Ucman. "I mean, technically, what we did was murder."
Later in the conversation, Ucman allegedly said, "I'm scared, babe." Copeland allegedly responded by saying, "Oh well, how do you think Delilah felt?"
Defense attorneys reportedly argued that the mother and father had both been severely abused as children and suffered from a variety of mental health issues that left them incapable of properly caring for themselves, let alone a child.
"These two young people were completely overwhelmed," Copeland's attorney, Courtney Cutter, reportedly told the court. "They were functioning at the level of children themselves."
"There might be some criminality, but you need to look at the whole picture," Cutter said, per KNSD. "The government only wants you to see the outcome and see it as malicious. Nobody wanted her to die. Everybody failed her."
Ucman's defense attorney, Anthony Parker, reportedly argued that Ucman loved her daughter, but suffered from postpartum depression that left her unable to care for anyone, including herself.
Ucman and Copeland have both remained in custody since their November 2021 arrests.
Follow Law&Crime:
Comments