GOLDEN, Colo. (Jun. 3, 2025) – Mckinley Slone Hernandez (DOB: 09-19-1998) was sentenced to 18 years in the Department of Corrections (DOC) for the injuries sustained by a two-year-old boy while in her care. In April, following a seven-day trial, a Jefferson County jury found Hernandez guilty of one count of Child Abuse – Recklessly Causing Serious Bodily Injury. As a result of the conviction, Hernandez faced a prison sentence ranging from 10 to 32 years.
On September 1, 2023, Lakewood police agents began an investigation into suspected child abuse after a two-year-old child was brought to St. Anthony Hospital by his babysitter, Hernandez, and her boyfriend. The child was subsequently airlifted to Children’s Hospital for life-saving surgery.
The child victim suffered severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury with brain tissue damage, subdural hemorrhaging, reduced oxygen and blood flow to the brain, and retinal hemorrhaging leading to tissue displacement behind the eyes. He also had significant bruising across his body, consistent with a diagnosis of Non-Accidental Trauma.
The investigation revealed that between August 30 and September 1, 2023, Hernandez was responsible for the child’s care at her home in Lakewood. Surveillance footage from September 1 showed the child falling or being pushed from a camper trailer at 7:30 p.m., immediately followed by Hernandez picking the child up and carrying him inside. Video footage showed Hernandez bite the child’s arm as she stepped inside the home. Between 7:30 p.m. and 7:44 p.m., the child became unconscious and unresponsive. Despite the child needing emergency care, Hernandez did not leave for the hospital until 7:56 p.m.
Hernandez operated an unlicensed, home-based daycare, and the child had been in her care regularly for over a year. During the trial, prosecutors argued that the child suffered multiple injuries between August 30 and September 1, which could not be solely attributed to the fall from the trailer.
On April 25, 2025, a Jefferson County jury found Hernandez guilty of Child Abuse, concluding that Hernandez had “Recklessly permitted [the victim] to be unreasonably placed in a situation that posed a threat of an injury to the child’s life or health that resulted in serious bodily injury.”
At sentencing, the parents and grandparents of the now four-year-old boy addressed the court, detailing the severity and impact of what happened and urging a sentence that reflects both the seriousness of the crime and the “lifetime of consequence” the victim faces.
Stefanie Reichert described how her son spent 32 days in the hospital, where he was “intubated, sedated, placed on and off a ventilator, and fed through a tube.” He had to relearn basic functions such as breathing, eating, and walking, and continues to face challenges with gross motor skills. Reichert spoke about the ongoing efforts her family has made to support his recovery and adjust to a new reality that her son will likely require continued therapy and long-term support. “The possibility of playing sports, wrestling with his brothers, following in his father’s footsteps into the military—these are things that will never happen… Not because he didn’t want them, but because someone made a choice to take them away,” she said.
The victim’s father also addressed the court and described how his son’s once promising future is now “full of uncertainty, medical appointments, and constant vigilance.”
Special Victims Chief Prosecutor Tyra Forbes emphasized the severity and amount of injuries that the child suffered, arguing that the sentence should be at the higher end of the 10-32 range. “The fact that Ms. Hernandez hesitated to seek medical attention for the victim is incredibly aggravated,” said Forbes. Forbes further highlighted evidence suggesting that Hernandez prioritized avoiding getting in trouble over securing life-saving care for the child and credited the child’s survival to the actions of Hernandez’s boyfriend, who performed CPR and ensured the child was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Counsel for Hernandez argued that the minimum sentence was appropriate because of the jury’s verdict; arguing the jurors unanimously agreed Hernandez was guilty of the lowest possible mental state of reckless.
“As a caregiver, your job, first and foremost, is to get that little boy help,” stated District Court Judge Contiguglia. She emphasized that she found the delay between the child becoming unresponsive and being taken to the hospital was particularly aggravating. Contiguglia also acknowledged several mitigating factors in her sentencing decision, including Hernandez’s lack of prior criminal history, mental health history, and Hernandez’s full compliance with pre-trial conditions.
Hernandez was sentenced to 18 years in DOC, followed by a mandatory 3 years of parole. Hernandez was granted 242 days of presentence confinement credit.