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Mother Sentenced for Manslaughter of Infant Amid System Failures

12/17/2025

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Mother Sentenced for Manslaughter

Nazli Merthoca, 24, was sentenced to nine and a half years for the manslaughter of her three-month-old Kaylani Kalanzi, who died in July 2024.
The court said Kaylani was on a child protection plan before birth.
Merthoca's defense cited her troubled past, including childhood abuse and substance use.
Herbert Kalanzi, Nazli Merthoca's partner, was acquitted.
The judge emphasized the loss of life and social services' failure to protect Kaylani.

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Reginald English Sentenced

Reginald English, 53, was sentenced to 72 years in prison for the murder of his mother Lorena Royster, 72, in Bladensburg, Maryland.
Royster was found dead in April 2024 with 47 stab wounds and a handcuff on her wrist.
Prosecutors stated the killing stemmed from a dispute over a car.
English was convicted in August 2025 and has appealed his conviction; family members said the sentence offers some justice but cannot ease their grief.

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Mother Sentenced for Manslaughter

Nazli Merthoca, 24, was sentenced to nine and a half years for the manslaughter of her three-month-old Kaylani Kalanzi, who died in July 2024.
The court said Kaylani was on a child protection plan before birth.
Merthoca's defense cited her troubled past, including childhood abuse and substance use.
Herbert Kalanzi, Nazli Merthoca's partner, was acquitted.
The judge emphasized the loss of life and social services' failure to protect Kaylani.

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