Lexington woman sentenced to probation, mental health treatment after 9-month-old’s death

A Lexington woman who pleaded guilty but mentally ill to killing her 9-month-old son in 2020 was sentenced to five years of probation by a Fayette County judge Friday.

Sammantha Moore, 34, had previously been charged with murder but accepted a guilty plea agreement back in October to an amended down charge of second-degree manslaughter. Moore also pleaded guilty to third-degree assault on a corrections officer.

Second-degree manslaughter is a class C felony, which can carry a prison sentence between 5 to 10 years if convicted, but Judge Jeffrey Taylor agreed to a sentence of probation so that Moore can attend a mental health treatment program.

Taylor appeared to be emotional while taking several moments to mull over the final sentencing. As part of the terms of her probation, Moore must attend and complete the mental health treatment program she’s currently undergoing as well as any other programs the state probation and parole program deems necessary.

“I want you to get well. I want you to be able to move past this eventually and live a fruitful life,” Taylor said.

Prior to the sentencing, Moore thanked Taylor for putting her through the program.

Moore’s son, Ocean Moore, was found unresponsive on Dec. 23, 2020. Police were called to an apartment on Centre Parkway where they found him, and he was pronounced dead on scene.

According to previous court testimony by Detective Paul Hogan, Sammantha Moore told investigators that she killed her son because she felt someone was hurting him, and that if she killed him, no one would be able to hurt him anymore. She said she put blankets and clothing on top of Ocean, as well as a kitchen barstool to prevent him from getting free, Hogan said previously.

Sammantha Moore went to sleep and checked on her son about eight hours later. She saw that he was dead and then called police, Hogan said. Ocean Moore died via suffocation.

Sammantha Moore also told police that she’d put lithium in her son’s food, Hogan said. While the form of lithium was not discussed during the hearing, lithium can be used as medication for mental health issues like mania and bipolar disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Less than a week after her arrest, Sammantha Moore was charged with third-degree assault of a corrections officer in the Fayette County Detention Center. A corrections officer testified previously that Sammantha Moore threw her into a table and scratched her with her nails after being told that she could not be taken to a hospital.