Over a year after emergency responders found an unconscious 4-year-old boy in a Crown Heights apartment, his mother has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his death. Myrna Chenphang, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter last fall, appeared in court today and when she asked to speak to her mother, her mother responded, "You hurt all of us. For what you did there is no forgiveness... Jayden was a joy for me and for all of us."
Chenphang accused her live-in boyfriend, Steven Dadaille, of beating little Jayden Lenescar into unconsciousness (the boy was pronounced dead at a hospital), while Dadaille accused Chenphang of abusing the boy. It turned out that the pair beat the child and threw him in to a bathtub because Jayden touched his genitals. The boy was beaten with a belt and a police source told the Daily News that Dadaille took over the punishment because Chenphang "was being 'too soft.'" The abuse was so disturbing obvious that an EMT said in the apartment, "Who the f--- beat this kid?"
Dadaille was sentenced to 25 years for his role in the killing. Chenphang's lawyer suggested that her relationship with Dadaille, which was abusive, prompted the boy's death, "She's extremely remorseful. It was a complicated situation within the home."
