Dacia Lacey, 32, was found not guilty of neglect of a dependent resulting in the 2022 death of her daughter, Alona, by Judge Mark Stoner, who is already facing calls to resign after giving a mentally ill man who fatally shot a police officer a sentence of time served

I don’t even know what to say

Court records show that Lacey gave police a lengthy confession, detailing through tears how she smothered her daughter because she was high on meth and wanted her to stop crying so she could get some sleep.

During the trial, investigators learned that Lacey’s other daughter, who was three at the time of Alona’s death, witnessed her mother taking a pillow and smothering the baby.

“Something has to be done with criminal intent, criminal responsibility, and that’s what the defendant is charged with. When the state chooses to charge an individual, they must prove they did something with criminal intent. Poor parenting, by definition, is not criminal.”