10-month-old died with fractured skull and burns, GA officials say. Couple sentenced
A Georgia woman and her boyfriend found guilty in the deadly abuse of her infant son are going to prison, county prosecutors said.
Dennisa Mary Vega and Jahlin Javante Corey, both 33, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and battery charges in the 2019 death of Vega’s 10-month-old son, Amir Vega, according to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.
At trial, the county medical examiner testified that the baby’s injuries — including a fractured skull, broken ribs and burns in his mouth — were “indicative of abuse,” prosecutors said in a March 31 news release.
“This 10-month-old infant, Amir Vega, died as a result of these defendants’ crimes,” Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in the release. “He will never grow into an adult.”
Jurors also convicted Vega on second-degree child cruelty and convicted Corey on two counts of aggravated battery, according to prosecutors.
Attorney information for Corey and Vega was not available.
The couple’s conviction and sentencing comes more than five years after emergency responders were called to their Norcross apartment in the early hours of Sept. 2, 2019, the DA’s office said. They found Vega’s young son unconscious and “breathing only six breaths a minute.”
Authorities said burns and other injuries were visible on the infant’s face and mouth.
Medics performed CPR en route to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, but the baby was declared dead after arriving at the hospital, according to the release.
“An autopsy determined that amongst other injuries, Amir Vega had a skull fracture, broken ribs, lacerations to his tongue and inside his mouth, bruises to his abdomen and arms, and lacerations to his small intestine,” prosecutors said.
A judge sentenced Corey to 50 years with 15 to serve in prison, according to the DA’s office. Vega, Amir’s mother, was given a 21-year sentence with 15 to serve in prison.
Both are also barred from having unsupervised contact with children younger than 12, including their own kids, prosecutors said.
“We hope that this sends a message that children must be cared for and not abused in our community,” Austin-Gatson said in the release.
Corey and Vega remained in custody at the Gwinnett County Jail without bond as of April 2, online records show.
Norcross is about a 20-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 12:19 PM with the headline "10-month-old died with fractured skull and burns, GA officials say. Couple sentenced."