Parents of Wichita toddler who starved to death in 2019 sentenced to more than 26 years
The mother and father of a Wichita toddler who starved to death in 2019 have each been ordered to serve 26 years, 10 months in prison on counts of second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and child abuse connected to the extreme neglect of the boy and his infant brother.
Brandi Marchant, 26, and Patrick Javonovich, 31, pleaded guilty last month in the April 2019 malnutrition and dehydration death of their son, Zaiden Javonovich, and the maltreatment of Marchant’s then 4-month-old son. Authorities have said both boys were severely underweight from not being fed enough; at 2 years old, Zaiden weighed less than 15 pounds, about half the weight of other toddlers his age, while his brother weighed 8 pounds.
Wichita police found Zaiden dead in his bed and the baby in critical condition on April 11, 2019, after going to a rented mobile home in the 4500 block of South Hydraulic, in response to a neighbor’s complaint about the couple fighting.
Police went into the house to check on the children only after one of the parents mentioned having kids.
Zaiden’s body was lying face down, tightly swaddled in a blanket and tied up in a pair of long-sleeved pajamas knotted near his throat — a method of binding Marchant told police she used to keep her son from crawling out of his crib, a probable cause affidavit released in the case says.
The baby, who is Marchant’s biological child but not Javonovich’s, was in such poor health that he couldn’t regulate his body temperature or support the weight of his own head, according to police.
Marchant told authorities she had put Zaiden to bed on April 10, 2019, and didn’t check on him or the baby at all the next day. Javonovich didn’t check on them, either, court records say.
Marchant’s defense attorney, Casey Cotton, said in court Thursday that Marchant “made a terrible mistake” neglecting the children but said Zaiden’s death was not intentional. She was young, ill, tired and neglectful but not physically abusive, he told the court.
“She’s going to have to live with this going forward,” he told Sedgwick County District Judge David Kaufman.
Javonovich’s lawyer, Brad Sylvester, echoed the sentiment, saying his client “was negligent” and “didn’t pay attention to the children” but has been “very thoughtful and soft spoken” in his legal dealings.
Neither asked the judge for leniency, only that their clients be sentenced “appropriately.”
Sedgwick County Assistant District Attorney Jason Roach kept his comments brief when it was his turn to address the court. He said the judge was “aware of the evidence” in the case after presiding over Javonovich’s preliminary hearing and asked him to follow sentencing recommendations laid out in the plea agreement.
No one spoke in court on behalf of the child who died or the baby harmed — including the adults in their home who were supposed to care for and keep them safe.
Marchant wiped away tears, sniffled and shook her head “no” when the judge asked if she wanted to speak in court. Javonovich also declined the chance and sat quietly through most of his hearing. Both were dressed in green jail jumpsuits, handcuffs and ankle shackles.
Kaufman handed down their sentences without commenting on their crimes: 165 months for aggravated kidnapping, 123 months for murder and 34 months for child abuse. The prison terms will be served consecutively, or back to back. The couple will get credit for the roughly 3 1/2 years they’ve spent in the Sedgwick County Jail awaiting the resolution of their cases.
They are also eligible to have as much as 15%, or around four years, shaved off of their sentences if they behave in prison, according to statements given in court.
