YAKIMA, Wash. – A judge ruled that a woman who pled guilty to causing the death of a child under her care by neglect will not serve any additional time.
Darlina Chilson, 52, pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter on August 14 for her role in the 2019 death of 16-year-old Kayce McDermed, who was under her care.
Chilson was granted legal custody of McDermed in January 2014. According to court documents, McDermed was quadriplegic and completely dependent on caretakers.
Chilson brought McDermed to the Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital on March 10, 2016. She was then transferred to Seattle Children’s Hospital after it was determined YVMH could not adequately address her maltreatment and medical issues.
McDermed died at Seattle Children’s Hospital on May 2, 2016. Court documents said that the hospital could not reach Chilson during the last few months of McDermed’s life, and McDermed’s final will was determined by the state.
That the standard sentence range falls between 21 and 27 months. A judge ruled that Chilson’s 23 months served on home monitoring during the trial were sufficient, and she will not serve any additional time.
