According to the court documents, the 33-year-old dad was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was sentenced on Monday, Nov.22. Prosecutors said the father was convicted of killing his 5-month-old daughter. He told investigators that “he was restless and in the midst of a multi-day drug binge” when he became frustrated because the baby wouldn’t stop crying. He said that he only tried to restrict the baby’s breathing slightly.
The 33-year-old father from Tennessee, Tony Lee Light, was found guilty on one count each of first-degree murder during the perpetration of child abuse and second-degree murder over the death of his 5-month-old child, Aida Shea Light, according to reports.
On Feb. 23, 2011, deputies responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive child at the defendant’s home. The responding deputies and EMS personnel attempted life-saving procedures and rushed the infant to hospital.
Unfortunately, the child was pronounced dead shortly after. An autopsy revealed that the child’s cause of death was suffocation.
The 33-year-old father was not arrested for several years. Prosecutors said he spent some of the years in prison on unrelated charges. In 2020, the defendant told investigators that he was restless and in the midst of a multi-day drug binge when ‘he became frustrated because the baby wouldn’t stop crying.’ He said that he only tried to restrict the baby’s breathing slightly.
In another interview, dating back to 2013, the father told detectives that he accidentally suffocated the infant. In another interview, August 2018, he reportedly told investigators that “he strangled the girl to death on purpose.”
The defense had argued for the possibility of parole because Light’s confession showed he felt remorse. The man also sent letters to investigators admitting he caused the infant’s death and that it happened while he was on a drug binge. This story will be updated as new information become available.