Father Sentenced to Prison for Infant's Death

A former Miramar-based Marine convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the death of his infant daughter was sentenced today to 11 years in state prison.

Lee Trahan, 28, was also convicted in February of assault on a child causing death. He received probation on that count.

Trahan’s wife, Jessica, was convicted of misdemeanor child abuse in connection with the events that led up to her daughter Willow’s 2012 death. She was sentenced in April to probation and ordered to do 200 hours of volunteer work.

Lee Trahan testified that he was holding Willow, preparing to feed her about 3 a.m. on April 24, 2012, when he felt her start to roll from his grasp. He said he took a step forward and he and the baby ran into a door frame.

Trahan said he picked up his daughter after feeding her twin brother. The babies were less than 6 weeks old at the time.

Trahan said he and his wife decided against taking their daughter to a hospital. Three days later, the baby stopped breathing and was rushed to a medical center. Ten days after that, she died. A deputy medical examiner testified that the child died from blunt force trauma to the head.

White said his client was a loving father to his twins and his wife’s daughter from a previous relationship. The defense attorney said the death of Willow’s brain cells could have been the result of medical personnel failing to insert a breathing tube into her throat, depriving her of oxygen for several minutes.

Deputy District Attorney Michelle Ialeggio said the frustration of caring for twins who were born premature took its toll on the couple. As a result, the prosecutor said, they made “huge parenting mistakes.”

--City News Service