Mom who admitted smothering two-month-old baby girl to death while high on meth WALKS FREE

The mother admitted to police that she smothered the infant with couch cushions while she was high on methamphetamines so she could 'get some sleep' in August 2022

An Indianapolis mother was acquitted of neglectful smothering leading to her child's death, although a judge remarked that he would have convicted her of involuntary manslaughter or reckless homicide.

Dacia Lacey, 32, was released after the judge determined that prosecutors had charged her with inappropriate offenses of neglecting a dependent resulting in death, as they failed to demonstrate that she intentionally killed her two-month-old daughter, Alona, in August 2022.

Dacia Lacey, 32, walked free after a judge ruled that prosecutors brought inappropriate charges over the suffocation death of her baby daughter

During her trial, Lacey confessed to police that she smothered the baby with couch cushions while under the influence of methamphetamines to "get some sleep."

In court this week, Lacey wept as Judge Mark Stoner reluctantly freed her, stating she was "neither innocent nor guilty of what the state accused her of." The trial, a bench trial, was decided by a single judge instead of a jury.

Initially, when questioned about her daughter's death, Lacey claimed it was an accident caused by her children playing with the baby on a couch. However, months later, she admitted to smothering her child after another interrogation.

Judge Mark Stoner said he was finding her not guilty 'reluctantly', insisting she was 'not innocent', but also 'not guilty of what the state has charged you with'

During the trial, a recording of Lacey's frantic 911 call after her baby's death was played, where she was heard screaming and crying.

Emergency services found the infant already deceased at Lacey's home, and a toxicology report revealed meth in Lacey's system. The autopsy couldn't determine the cause of death definitively.

Witness testimony included Lacey's five-year-old daughter recounting seeing her mother smother the baby with a pillow. However, the judge dismissed this testimony, stating the child's understanding was limited.

The court also heard from Lacey's father's fiancée, who said the five-year-old had told her a similar story about her mother's actions.

Lacey initially claimed that her daughter's death was a freak accident, and told authorities several stories before admitting to smothering her daughter in their home (pictured)

Despite acknowledging Lacey's wrongdoing as a parent, Judge Stoner emphasized that not every mistake or misdeed is necessarily criminal. He stated that the burden of proving criminal intent rests with the state.

Stoner ended by noting that prosecutors choose the charges, implying that the decision to acquit Lacey ultimately stemmed from the state's choices.

The Marion County Prosecutor's Office declined to comment further on the case.