Uniontown, Pa. — A district attorney in Pennsylvania is seeking the death penalty against a couple accused of murdering a toddler.
Celia Nunn, the girl’s mother, and her fiancé, Emmanuel Dennis, are facing first-degree murder charges in the baby’s October 2024 death.
Margaret “Maggie” Dunn, according to prosecutors, was beaten to death over several days. When medics were called to the family’s Menallen Township home, they found the 2-year-old face down with vomit on her mouth. The coroner said she’d been dead at least 12 hours.
“This child was suffering from internal injuries, for days, if not weeks prior to her passing,” said Mike Aubele, Fayette Co. District Attorney.
Aubele filed motions for aggravating circumstances, including torture.
“This child was suffering. Within her final days, she couldn’t even sit up straight but the parents were continuing to punish her, continue to put her in time out and knew they needed to get help for her but thought they’d get in trouble if they did,” he said.
Investigators say Dennis admitted to beating the child for several days, including one beating that lasted 5-10 minutes. She had bruises all over her body. Nunn said she was aware of the abuse and that her daughter needed medical attention, but did not take her to the hospital.
“At some point, she’d either gone limp or flat out kicked across the hallway upstairs outside of the bathroom,” said Aubele.
Dennis reportedly told investigators that Maggie was going through the ‘terrible twos’. He allegedly said he didn’t know his own strength and may have used excessive force when disciplining her. The DA said blaming the ‘terrible twos’ is a notion so disgusting, he won’t even address it.
“It is not even worth addressing any assertion [that] this child somehow was acting or behaving differently than any other child. We have just a callous, disgusting attitude that was expressed not only by Mr. Dennis but by the child’s mother. There is just no excuse for it. ”
Maggie and her siblings had just arrived to Fayette County with their mother three months before her death. Nunn has given birth to her fourth child in jail.
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