Man neglected child in ‘nearly every way’ until she was ‘skeletal’ and died, feds say
A Minnesota man has been sentenced to prison after officials say he neglected a child, leading to her death.
Julius Fineday Sr. is accused of depriving a child of “necessary food, health care, and other basic needs” between Jan. 1 and Dec. 25, 2022, according to a July 23 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota.
McClatchy News reached out to Fineday’s attorney for comment on July 24 but did not immediately hear back.
Officials said Fineday, 42, was capable of caring for the child but chose not to do so, ultimately leading to her death.
Fineday neglected the girl in “nearly every way” until she was “not just thin, but skeletal” when she died, officials said.
Her cause of death was a combination of effects of malnutrition and Group A Streptococcal infection, which was a result of neglect, the release said.
Fineday was accused of failing to treat the child’s head lice and keeping her out of school, where she would have been able to eat, according to officials. He also failed to take her to a doctor for three years.
“The starvation of the child was not due to a lack of resources or inadequate food in the house, but instead, a lack of care,” Chief Judge Patrick J. Schlitz said, according to the release.
Fineday pleaded guilty to one count of felony child neglect causing the death of a child on March 25. He was sentenced July 23 to five years in prison.
