Photo: PNJ
Dericka Lindsay was allegedly being punished for being "out of control."
By Emily Blackwood — Written on Oct 18, 2017
In an effort to punish a 9-year-old girl for acting "out of control," 64-year-old Veronica Green Posey sat on her until she died.
The Florida woman who weighs 325 pounds was charged with homicide and cruelty toward a child after she killed her cousin Dericka Lindsay in an attempt to discipline her. According to Posey, Grace Joan Smith and James Edmund Smith (who are listed as Lindsay's parents), called her to help them punish the girl.
Posey, who is listed as the Smith's niece, struck Lindsay with a ruler and a metal pipe before the young girl was able to run to an armchair.
She then sat on the small girl in the armchair for nearly 10 minutes. Then Lindsay said she couldn't breathe.
James Smith told police Posey continued to sit on the girl for another two minutes, and when she finally stood up, Lindsay was unresponsive.
Posey attempted CPR on the child and called 911, but it was too late. The child was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to Mike Carroll, the secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Smiths have a history with the child welfare system. "Dericka's death is appalling and DCF will continue coordinating with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office to hold anyone responsible for her death accountable," he said.
"As the family has a prior interaction with the child welfare system, a thorough quality assurance review will be conducted to review all prior interactions this family has had with the child welfare system," he continued.
Grace Smith and James Smith were both charged with child neglect for failing to act on abuse, and Grace Smith was charged with cruelty toward a child.
Posey's bond was set at $125,000 and she's since been released. As of Monday, both Grace and James Smith were still in jail.
Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTango’s Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).