The mother of twin boys who died in a tragic fire after she left the 3-year-olds home alone is in jail, but it's not what you think. Dalawna Berran-Lett isn't serving time for the involuntary manslaughter of her toddlers. At least, not yet.
Berran-Lett pleaded guilty this week to leaving the toddlers to fend for themselves on January 4, telling cops she had left to go find her teenage daughter, who the mother claimed had stolen marijuana from her. A judge ordered the 32-year-old to submit to drug testing before he would decide on her sentence in the boys' death.
But the Pennsylvania woman never showed.
So much for taking this whole thing seriously, huh?
Berran-Lett's twin 3-year-old boys, Ky’heir and Dy’heir, died that fateful night after cops believe they turned on a grease-covered stove, attempting to prepare some food. Their mother wasn't there to save them.
For that alone, she deserves to be punished. Who in their right mind leaves toddlers alone in a home? The stove is just one of the dangers I can think of right of the top of my head. There are also TVs that can topple. Cleaning fluids that can be ingested. Toilets they can drown in.
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Anyone who has ever spent five minutes with a toddler knows they needed to be watched like a hawk. But cops say Berran-Lett had her priorities absolutely off-kilter that night. She needed to get her pot back from her 15-year-old.
That's what she was thinking instead of taking care of her kids. Is it any wonder she doesn't seem to be thinking of the kids even now that they're gone and she's the one responsible?
Oh, Berran-Lett was arrested and charged, and this week she pleaded guilty to two counts each of involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children, and recklessly endangering another person.
But then she failed to show up for her drug test.
If it's confusing to ponder who would leave toddlers home alone, at least we can hope that she simply didn't expect anything bad to happen. But now that it's happened, now that she's been convicted, shouldn't she be showing a little remorse here? At least a token acknowledgement that these court proceedings are happening because something horrible happened ... to her babies?
She may have suffered already for her sins. The loss of her twins is unspeakable. But if she can't be bothered to actually follow through with what the court wants, that punishment clearly isn't enough. She needs to be sent to prison.
What do you think should happen to this mother?
Image via Pittsburgh Police Handout