SUFFOLK

The stress of more than a year living under court supervision showed on Sykeethia Towns' face Wednesday. The young Smithfield mother's voice cracked. She wiped tears from her eyes.

Until she composed herself, Towns, 22, could barely talk. Charged with first-degree murder in the death of her infant daughter, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a plea agreement coupled with an Alford plea. The Alford plea means that she doesn't admit guilt but believes that prosecutors would have enough evidence to convict her should the case go to trial.

It would have been a case hard to prove, Commonwealth's Attorney Parker Councill admitted. Police and prosecutors concluded that Towns caused physical distress for her daughter in order to bring attention to herself. When Nikayla died in September 2004, she was 6 months old.

In outlining the evidence he would have presented had there been a trial, Councill said Towns took the baby to numerous hospital emergency rooms before her death. The infant's symptoms ranged from difficulty breathing to respiratory and intestinal infections.

"On Sept. 27, 2004, a little before 2 in the afternoon, the Smithfield Police Department and Rescue Squad got a call that a child had ceased breathing," Councill said. "The child was pronounced dead. The person with the child was the defendant."

Councill said medical officials involved in the case were suspicious. He said the child, from the time her life began, had suffered a series of emergencies. Sudden infant death was ruled out after tests on the baby's remains, Councill said.

After meeting with a number of experts, Councill said police finally arrived at Munchausen syndrome by proxy as a cause of death. Munchausen is a psychological disorder that prompts a caregiver to bring about physical distress to a victim. It's not a "common condition," Councill said.

The cause of death was never determined, said defense attorney Robert L. Lichtenstein of Hopewell. He said the autopsy showed there had been pressure on the infant's face, but not enough to cause her death. There were no drugs in Nikayla's system. "We consulted experts and felt we could have presented a defense," Lichtenstein said, "but we feel this is a fair resolution. My client wants to bring it to closure."

Towns was arrested on March 12, 2007, nearly three years after her daughter's death. Later that month, she was released on bond because she was pregnant and diagnosed with high blood pressure. Since then, she's been living with a minister. Two other children are being cared for by relatives, her attorney said.

Dressed in a bright green blouse and floral skirt, Towns answered Circuit Court Judge Rodham Delk's questions with "Yes, sir," and "No, sir." Her lawyer said she's been attending college classes and doing well.

It was Towns' decision to enter into a plea agreement, he said. Had she been convicted of murder, she would have risked a life sentence. Under the plea agreement, she's facing a maximum of 10 years.

"I think this is a fair resolution," Lichtenstein said after court. "We've made a special plea for the judge to sentence her within the guidelines. Hopefully, there will be no active sentence."

Towns will be sentenced July 23.

Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com