Court records traced Li’Aziah Thomas’ final hours from a Pine Lane apartment to a Delaware County sentencing hearing.
CHESTER, Pa. — Police responding to a cardiac arrest call at a Pine Lane apartment found 18-month-old Li’Aziah Thomas dead in January 2021, beginning a case that ended with prison sentences for her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.
The most recent sentence came May 20, 2026, when Maurice Davis, 34, received 24 1/2 to 50 years in prison for his role in the fatal abuse. Davis pleaded no contest to aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy to commit third-degree murder. Kandie Meinhart, Li’Aziah’s mother, had already been sentenced to 30 to 60 years in July 2024 after pleading guilty to third-degree murder and related charges. The two sentencings closed the main criminal case tied to the toddler’s death.
The first public record of the case began with a call around 11 a.m. Jan. 20, 2021, for an 18-month-old child in cardiac arrest at Meinhart’s home on the 900 block of Pine Lane. Officers arrived and found Meinhart giving CPR to Li’Aziah, but the child’s condition told investigators the emergency was not new. Police said the toddler was cold to the touch, did not have a pulse and showed signs of rigor mortis. Medical findings later placed the fatal injuries hours before the emergency call, creating an early question for investigators about why help was delayed.
Authorities said the child’s injuries showed repeated blunt-force trauma. The medical examiner found lacerations to the liver and right adrenal gland, damage to blood vessels in the bowel and internal bleeding. Investigators also documented bruises and knuckle marks on the sides of Li’Aziah’s body and buttocks. Court records said some injuries appeared to have happened between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., with death likely between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Police were not called until later that morning. Prosecutors said Meinhart and Davis were the only caretakers present during the key period.
The investigation also included what witnesses said happened after police were called. One witness said Meinhart called Li’Aziah’s father and told him, “Your b— is dead.” The statement became one of the most disturbing pieces of the case because it showed the father learning of his daughter’s death through a call from the mother who would later plead guilty. Authorities said both Meinhart and Davis gave false statements about their roles and whereabouts. Those early accounts did not match the medical timeline, investigators said.
Charges were announced in June 2021, more than five months after Li’Aziah died. Delaware County officials said Meinhart and Davis were charged with criminal homicide, murder, endangering the welfare of a child and other related crimes. The district attorney’s office said the child suffered multiple blunt-force injuries during the final night of her life. District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said at the time that the injuries came from “the very people who are supposed to protect her.” Both defendants were held without bail after the charges were filed.
The case did not move quickly to final sentences. Meinhart’s case resolved first. She pleaded guilty in July 2024, accepting responsibility for third-degree murder, conspiracy and child endangerment. Prosecutors said she admitted delivering the final blow that killed Li’Aziah. Davis’ case continued until he entered no-contest pleas. That plea did not include a formal admission of guilt, but it gave the court authority to impose punishment on the charges. Prosecutors framed Davis’ role as more than silence or failure to act, saying he took part in the abuse that weakened the child before Meinhart’s final assault.
At Davis’ sentencing, First Assistant District Attorney Kristen Kemp said the case was about the combined conduct of both adults. Kemp told the judge that Davis’ actions and his choice to remain in the conspiracy allowed Meinhart’s abuse to continue. She said Li’Aziah should have been a 6-year-old finishing first grade. Davis apologized in court to the child’s father and grandmother, but he also continued to suggest he could not explain what happened. “I really am sorry,” Davis said. “I wish I could really tell you what happened, but I can’t.”
Davis’ lawyer, Michael Malloy, placed the main blame on Meinhart, telling the court that her actions were hard to understand. Malloy described Meinhart as “the devil” and said she had been abusive before Davis met her. Prosecutors pushed back by pointing to allegations involving the other children in the home. Three other children lived with Meinhart and Davis when Li’Aziah died, and prosecutors said they also were abused. Davis was accused of punching children in their chests and dangling one child over a staircase, allegations that became part of the broader picture of the home.
Judge Kevin F. Kelly’s sentence included a restriction aimed at future child safety. In addition to prison, Davis was barred from being left alone with or living with anyone under 16. The order followed prosecutors’ claims that the household held multiple children at risk and that Li’Aziah’s death was not an isolated act hidden from Davis. Meinhart’s sentence remains longer at the top end, but Davis’ 24 1/2- to 50-year term means he will also be in state custody for decades.
As of June 22, 2026, both adults convicted in connection with Li’Aziah Thomas’ death have been sentenced, and the court’s latest action is Davis’ May 20 prison term and child-contact restriction.
Author note: Last updated June 22, 2026.