KANSAS CITY, MO - A mother has pleaded guilty over the 2023 death of her five-year-old son, who fell out of a 17th-floor apartment window that she had opened.
On Monday, March 16, the mother, Corrinne O'Connor, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, and she was sentenced to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, PEOPLE reported. O'Connor will serve the time in prison with no probation.
While she was initially charged with Class A felony endangering the welfare of a child in 2024, the charge was then amended on Monday. According to a new complaint, O'Connor failed to keep her son Grayson away from a window she had opened, recklessly causing his death.
On November 27, 2023, Kansas City Police Department officers responded to the Grand Boulevard Lofts in the city's downtown for an unknown medical report around 11:00 a.m., local time. Upon arriving on scene, they discovered Grayson behind the complex suffering from bodily trauma. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities at the scene had spotted the only open window on the entire wall on the top floor before going up to the apartment and finding O'Connor lying in front of the window. She then told investigators that her son "went out the window" after they asked where he was.
The initial indictment said O'Connor "acted in a manner that created a substantial risk to the life, body, and health of a child." Her lack of supervision eventually resulted in her son's death. She also reportedly did not call for authorities after her son fell, leaving the boy to be found by a passerby, according to court documents.
Court documents also revealed that the landlord of the apartment building had filed for O'Connor to be evicted, accusing her of removing a window's safety device.
The landlord reportedly found out about the removal of the device on the same day as Grayson's death. "The plea was reached after careful consideration of the evidence and circumstances of the case," Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said.
"A child lost their life, and the decision allows for both accountability, while also acknowledging a mother who is now living in grief,” Johnson added. "We also hope that during her time in custody, she will have access to the resources and support she needs."
On Monday, March 16, the mother, Corrinne O'Connor, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, and she was sentenced to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, PEOPLE reported. O'Connor will serve the time in prison with no probation.
While she was initially charged with Class A felony endangering the welfare of a child in 2024, the charge was then amended on Monday. According to a new complaint, O'Connor failed to keep her son Grayson away from a window she had opened, recklessly causing his death.
On November 27, 2023, Kansas City Police Department officers responded to the Grand Boulevard Lofts in the city's downtown for an unknown medical report around 11:00 a.m., local time. Upon arriving on scene, they discovered Grayson behind the complex suffering from bodily trauma. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities at the scene had spotted the only open window on the entire wall on the top floor before going up to the apartment and finding O'Connor lying in front of the window. She then told investigators that her son "went out the window" after they asked where he was.
The initial indictment said O'Connor "acted in a manner that created a substantial risk to the life, body, and health of a child." Her lack of supervision eventually resulted in her son's death. She also reportedly did not call for authorities after her son fell, leaving the boy to be found by a passerby, according to court documents.
Court documents also revealed that the landlord of the apartment building had filed for O'Connor to be evicted, accusing her of removing a window's safety device.
The landlord reportedly found out about the removal of the device on the same day as Grayson's death. "The plea was reached after careful consideration of the evidence and circumstances of the case," Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said.
"A child lost their life, and the decision allows for both accountability, while also acknowledging a mother who is now living in grief,” Johnson added. "We also hope that during her time in custody, she will have access to the resources and support she needs."
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