DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - A jury found Anthony Myers guilty of first-degree murder in the death of two-year-old Ta'Naja Barnes.
Barnes' former foster mother, Iesha Dean, said she is ready to see how much time he's expected to see behind bars.
On Feb. 11, 2019, when police found Barnes' unresponsive body, she was described as dirty and wrapped in a urine-soaked blanket. The 2-year-old's body temperature was too cold to measure.
"It's just unexplainable how that happened to a child who was defenseless," Iesha Dean said. "She couldn't take care of herself, she couldn't protect herself."
Barnes' mother, T'Wanka Davis, pleaded guilty in September of 2019. Davis is already serving her 20 year sentence. As for Myers, the jury said he is guilty for committing an offence against someone under the age of 12. However, it was not proven Myers was being cruel towards Barnes. It will not take away from the fact that Myers will have first-degree murder attached to his record.
"I wish I would've kept her," Dean said. "She could've been here today with in this house."
To Dean, Justice has finally been served for her former foster daughter. Myers is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 10, 2020.
