Left to right: Kandie Meinhart, Maurice Davis (George W. Hill Correctional Facility).
A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to prison for his involvement in the tragic murder of his girlfriend’s 18-month-old daughter. The child suffered severe injuries, including knuckle marks and significant trauma to her adrenal gland and liver, ultimately leading to her death.
Li’Aziah Thomas was discovered lifeless on the floor of her mother’s Chester home on January 20, 2021. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Delaware County Daily Times, the toddler was cold to the touch and showed signs of rigor mortis when police arrived.
Witnesses reported hearing the mother, Kandie Meinhart, make a chilling call to Li’Aziah’s father, declaring, “Your b— is dead,” following the brutal beating she and her boyfriend, Maurice Davis, inflicted on the child.
Maurice Davis, aged 34, received a prison sentence last week ranging from 24 1/2 to 50 years. He pleaded no contest to charges of aggravated assault, child endangerment, and conspiracy to commit third-degree murder. Kandie Meinhart, also 34, was sentenced earlier in July 2024 to 30 to 60 years after pleading guilty to these charges, including third-degree murder.
Prosecutors revealed that while Meinhart delivered the fatal blow, Davis played a role in the abuse that led to the child’s death, indicating he physically assaulted and weakened Li’Aziah in the apartment they shared.
Delaware County First Assistant District Attorney Kristen Kemp highlighted during Davis’ sentencing that his actions, along with his complicity in Meinhart’s violence, were pivotal in the tragic outcome. “The weakening of this poor baby due to the defendant’s actions and his ongoing actions, allowing Kandie Meinhart to do what she did and remaining in that conspiracy, is why we’re here today,” Kemp stated, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“And it’s why instead of being a 6-year-old who is about to finish her first-grade year, Li’Aziah Thomas is in a box in the home of her family,” Kemp said.
Court records obtained by the Delco Times say Li’Aziah was likely dead for four to five hours before police were called to the couple’s apartment. She died from blunt-force trauma, which caused lacerations to her liver and right adrenal gland, and damaged blood vessels in the bowel, resulting in internal bleeding.
Li’Aziah had bruises and knuckle marks on the sides of her body and buttocks. Davis’ own defense attorney described Meinhart as “the devil” at his sentencing.
“I think that’s one thing the commonwealth and I can agree on,” attorney Michael Malloy said, as he blamed Meinhart for Li’Aziah’s death. “Her actions are just hard to understand,” Malloy told the court, alleging that Meinhart was abusive prior to meeting Davis, according to The Inquirer.
Three other children were living in the home with Davis and Meinhart at the time of Li’Aziah’s death, with prosecutors saying they abused them as well. Davis was accused of punching the children in their chests and dangling one of them over a staircase.
“I really am sorry,” Davis told the court during his sentencing. “I wish I could really tell you what happened, but I can’t,” he said. “I understand y’all have a job to do. [Li’Aziah] needs justice, but at end of the day I’m going through it, too.”
