People v. Carroll

Three-year-old Shanaya was beaten to death by her father over a ten-day visit while her stepmother, Carroll (defendant), never called police or sought medical help until the child died, though Carroll told police she acted as Shanaya's primary caretaker and "mother" during these visits; a grand jury indicted Carroll for child endangerment as someone legally charged with the child's care, but the trial court dismissed the indictment on the ground Carroll was not the functional equivalent of a parent, and the appellate court reversed and reinstated it, prompting Carroll's further appeal.