N.J. school bus aide convicted of child endangerment in death of 6-year-old special needs girl
SOMERVILLE, N.J. - A school bus aide accused in the death of a 6-year-old girl with special needs has been convicted of child endangerment.
Amanda Davila was found not guilty of the more serious charges of aggravated and reckless manslaughter.
The verdict came after two days of deliberations.
Davila faces a minimum of five years in prison when she's sentenced on March 7. The more serious charges would've put her behind bars for 10-20 years. Davila's attorney says because she has no previous criminal record, he could push for less time.
In 2023, Fajr Williams died in her wheelchair on a school bus being monitored by Davila.
The jury was shown surveillance video of Williams sliding down and getting strangled by the harness on her wheelchair.
According to prosecutors, Davila spent the entire time on her cellphone with her earbuds in, never looking back as Williams struggled.
"I still don't have my child. She's gone forever"
Williams' mother spoke to reporters after the verdict.
"I still don't have my child. She's gone forever," Najmah Nash said. "I don't think it was fair. Do I think that the prosecution did a good job? Yes."
Last week, Davila's attorney blamed Williams' older sister for putting the harness on instead of her mother. He spoke out after the verdict Monday.
"It's the parent's responsibility to buckle the top and bottom parts. The parents, I guess she delegated to her 14-year-old daughter that day, did put the top part. She didn't put the bottom, and that's why the little girl slipped. If that bottom harness was fastened, it wouldn't have happened," defense attorney Michael Policastro said.
"It was her fault for not doing her job," Nash said. "We did our job. We got my baby to the bus. She was strapped in, and that's a fact. So, any description, or any disbelief in that, is shame on you."
Nash says she will continue fighting for a law in her daughter's name to give bus aides more training.
Davila has told jurors she's remorseful about the incident, and has been suffering from PTSD ever since.
"I feel bad for what happened, and I am so sorry that it did happen, and I made a mistake," Davila testified.