Mom put fatal dose of fentanyl in baby's sippy cup so she could 'relax and smoke marijuana': prosecutor

A woman found guilty of spiking her baby's sippy cup with a fatal dose of fentanyl committed the crime in order to quiet the child so she could "sit back, relax and smoke marijuana," a prosecutor said Monday.

Assistant district attorney Diana Page told a Pennsylvania jury that Jhenea Pratt, 23, drugged her 17-month-old daughter, Charlette Napper-Talley, in April 2018 with the "specific intent to kill," according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"That baby was getting in the way of her enjoying her pastime," Page claimed, referencing the mother's drug use.

Pratt was convicted on Tuesday of involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. She will be sentenced at a later date.

Police responded to a call at Pratt's apartment on April 5 of last year about a baby who wasn't breathing. First responders rushed Charlette to a nearby hospital where she later died.

Tests received by the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office revealed the presence of fentanyl in the toddler's blood. Red liquid inside a pink sippy cup found on the toddler's bed also tested positive for enough of the potent drug to "kill two horses," Detective Michael Flynn said during an interrogation.

When asked how the incident may have unfolded, Pratt told investigators,"I have no knowledge as to how fentanyl got into my daughter's sippy cup."