Lexington woman to plead guilty in child abuse death

A Lexington County woman is expected to plead guilty Tuesday morning to charges of homicide by child abuse in the death of her 13-month-old daughter.

According to evidence in the case, Terry Roach, 43, and her husband, Filberto Garcia, neglected and starved their daughter Madison Garcia to death over a period of 13 months.

Madison had Down Syndrome.

The formal charge against Roach is homicide by child abuse, which carries a penalty of 20 years to life in prison. Filberto Garcia has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial May 18.

Warrants in the case allege that, between July 31, 2012 and Sept. 2, 2013, Garcia and Roach caused the little girl’s death by “extreme indifference to human life through lethal conduct.”

The baby had not been fed or checked on for nine hours before Garcia found her in her crib and brought her, unresponsive, to the Lexington Medical Center on Sept. 2, 2013, according to law enforcement officials.

Madison died from chronic malnutrition and dehydration, case records show.

Madison, who weighed 6.3 pounds when she was discharged from the hospital after her birth, weighed slightly more than 9 pounds at her death. The average weight of a 1-year-old girl is about 20 pounds, according to several medical websites.

There was no medical reason for her state of malnutrition, according to law enforcement reports.

Evidence expected to be offered during Tuesday’s hearing at the Marc Westbrook Judicial Center includes neighbors’ offers to help the family with Madison’s care, according to the investigation.

Roach and Garcia, who lived in West Columbia before their arrests, reportedly were receiving government checks monthly to help with Madison’s care.

It will be up to Circuit Judge Cordell Maddox of Anderson to set sentence after hearing testimony in the case Tuesday.

State 11th Circuit senior assistant solicitor Suzanne Mayes is prosecuting the case. State 11th Circuit Public Defender Robert Madson is Roach’s attorney.

Roach and Garcia have been in jail since their 2013 arrest. They have a school-age child who is now being cared for by another family.

This story was originally published April 13, 2015 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Lexington woman to plead guilty in child abuse death."