Mom Arrested For Killing Daughter A Month After She Appeared On TV Show To Claim Innocence

A Pennsylvania mom and her boyfriend have ended up behind bars for allegedly beating her 18-month-old daughter to death.

Kandie Meinhart, 31, and Maurice Davis, 29, were arrested and charged Tuesday with criminal homicide and murder for the murder of Li'Aziah Thomas, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Li'Aziah's sibling found the baby unresponsive in her crib at their squalid Chester home in January. The medical examiner concluded that the baby died of blunt-force trauma and severe blood loss. The death was ruled a homicide.

Ironically, Meinhart appeared on KTLA's "Steve Wilkos Show" in May to claim innocence.

Meinhard, a fast-food manager, claimed that she was not home when her daughter died and was clueless about what happened to her.

"I was at work. I came home, I went to sleep and I found her the next morning. Well, my daughter carried her to me the next morning," said Meinhart. She has three other children.

However, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said baby Li'Aziah had suffered multiple blunt force injuries from the very people who were supposed to protect her.

"The facts of this case are truly horrific: a mother and her boyfriend are literally responsible for beating to death this defenseless baby," Stollsteimer said in a statement Tuesday. "While we are horrified this crime could happen in our community, I am thankful that because of the dedicated work of detectives and prosecutors, we will be able to bring her killers to justice."

The child's father, Anthony Thomas, and grandmother, Michele Rice, told the Inquirer that they were happy with the arrests. "I'm actually feeling good it finally happened," said Thomas.

"I'm happy that there's almost an ending, but none of this brings my baby back to me," Rice told the news outlet.

The accused are being held without bail at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility. Their preliminary hearings are scheduled for July 7.