Daneicha Bringht: Mother with mental illness sentenced to life in prison for shooting 6-year-old son

BROOKLYN, OHIO: Daneicha Bringht, a mother with known mental illness, who shot and killed her 6-year-old son in an Ohio hotel after taking him there for a special day of fun, was sentenced to life in prison on December 17.

Bringht took her son Kaamir to a hotel in Brooklyn in April 2021 so he could swim in their indoor pool. She also presented him with sweets. However, she eventually shot the boy 11 times while they were in their room, per Cleveland.com.

Daneicha Bringht's fabricated story 

On April 24, 2021, Bringht shot her son and then called the police, telling them that an unknown man had entered their room and shot her and her son about 30 minutes ago. However, authorities said that she eventually admitted to making the story up.

However, authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting. "I certainly understand and appreciate mental illness," Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Anna Faraglia said during the sentencing. "But the fact of the matter is that a ... boy didn't have to die that day, and he did. For that, she will have to pay the price."

In a phone interview, Donald E Bringht Sr, Daneicha Bringht's father and the grandfather of 6-year-old Kaamir Bringht, stated that after multiple attempts by family members to persuade Daneicha Bringht to get treatment for her mental health problems, including schizophrenia, failed, they contacted the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services to ask whether he or Daneicha Bringht's mother could take care of the boy.

Daneicha Bringht had a history of mental illness

At the time of the tragic murder, Daneicha's father said, “We all tried to get her help and in more than one state,” adding, “Her mother was trying to get the baby from her, and social services stated, we don’t take kids from their parents anymore,” per Cleveland.com.

Police wrote in court records that she admitted to shooting her son several times, including in the head and abdomen, after initially reporting to police that a man shot her and her son inside her hotel room. It’s still, however, unclear why she and her son were staying at the hotel.

On 17 December, she pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and other charges as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors, who dropped charges that could have made her eligible for the death penalty. 

She won't be eligible for parole until she has served at least 35 years in prison. Both the defense and the prosecution agreed that Bringht had a history of mental illness, including a schizophrenia diagnosis. She was found to be competent to stand trial, nevertheless, following a court-mandated mental health evaluation.