Jury Finds Nixzmary Brown's Mother Guilty of Manslaughter

A Brooklyn jury convicted Nixzaliz Santiago on manslaughter charges for the death of her 7-year-old daughter Nixzmary Brown.

Though Santiago's husband Cesar Rodriguez beat Nixzmary right before her death (he was convicted of manslaughter earlier this year), prosecutors were seeking a murder conviction, arguing that Santiago's inaction was "depraved indifference." They pointed to evidence that Nixzmary had been abused for weeks leading up to her death in January 2006 and that Santiago did nothing to help her daughter. Santiago's lawyer blamed Rodriguez and said, on the night of Nixzmary's death, her client couldn't hear the cries because the child's mouth was duct taped.

Nixzmary's death put a spotlight on the Administration for Children's Services. The agency had been monitoring her home after repeated calls from the girl's school; ACS underwent changes after a other deaths of children who were being monitored.