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A Texas man has been found guilty of manslaughter after unintentionally overdosing his two-month-old daughter with Benadryl.
Prosecutors alleged that Adam Canales Jr., 33, gave the baby medication to make her sleep so he could spend “quality time” with his wife.
He was convicted in Lubbock County on August 28 and will be sentenced at a later date.
- Texas man Adam Canales Jr. found guilty of manslaughter after accidentally overdosing his 2-month-old daughter with Benadryl.
- Prosecutors said Canales gave the baby medication to make her sleep so he could have “quality time” with his wife.
- Canales faces up to 20 years in prison; his wife also faces manslaughter charges and is awaiting trial.
Adam Canales Jr. has been convicted of manslaughter
Image credits: KCBD
Canales’ wife, Sarah Canales, 25, also faces a charge of manslaughter and is awaiting trial.
The couple’s daughter, Athena Brigida-Kay Canales, was found unresponsive at the family home in Idalou around 4 p.m. on July 11, 2021, KLBK reported.
Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office deputies said Athena was not breathing when they arrived at the scene.
Both parents were arrested in January 2022 after an autopsy found that Athena died due to “mixed drug toxicity.”
During the trial, District Attorney Sunshine Stanek said both parents regularly dosed their children with medication, Lubbock-Avalanche Journal reported.
Image credits: Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office
“This defendant was so selfish and reckless in his actions that he caused the death of Athena,” she said.
“They made a habit of giving their kids, including Athena, medicine to make them sleep. When they were tired and just wanted adult time to themselves — they dosed her.”
She further said that Canales initially denied giving his daughter Benadryl, a type of antihistamine medication with sedative effects, and knew it was dangerous for infants.
Kirstopher Mincey, Canales’s attorney, argued that the death was accidental and there had been miscommunication between the couple, as per local outlets KCBD and KLBZ.
He said there was “a lot going on in the home at the time,” and both Canales and Sarah had given Athena Benadryl on different occasions.
Image credits: Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office
Mincey also argued that, as Canales had been given the same medication as a child, he didn’t know there was a risk.
“He had seen everyone else do it,” he said, according to Lubbock-Avalanche Journal. “He didn’t think death would occur from his actions.”
Canales is facing up to 20 years in prison.
In a similar case recently, a babysitter in Hawaii was handed the maximum 20-year sentence for the overdose of a seven-month-old child from Benadryl.
Canales could be jailed for up to 20 years in prison
Earlier this year, Dixie Denise Villa was sent to jail after being found guilty of manslaughter.
Villa was babysitting Abigail Lobisch in 2019 when the infant died from an overdose of diphenhydramine, an ingredient in Benadryl, Hawaii News Now reported.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Tiffany Kaeo had argued that Villa deserved to be handed the maximum sentence for manslaughter.
“This drug should never be given to any child under the age of 6 without a doctor’s orders,” Kaeo said.
Abigail’s mother, Anna Lobisch, told the court that she would forever grieve the loss of her daughter, as per Hawaii News Now.
“My heart has never stopped hurting,” she said. “The loss and the pain of living without Abby is a heavy weight that I will carry every single day for the rest of my life until Abby and I are finally reunited.”
Villa intends to appeal her conviction.
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