Honk News (Somerset County, NJ) – A 28-year-old school bus monitor in New Jersey has been sentenced to prison for neglecting her duty to check on a 6-year-old girl under her care, who tragically lost her life due to being strangled by the safety harness of her wheelchair during the bus ride to school.
A jury in Somerset County reached a verdict on Monday, convicting Amanda Davila of one count related to the welfare of a child in connection with the tragic death of Fajr Williams, a young individual who faced the challenges of a rare chromosomal disorder known as Emanuel syndrome, was nonverbal, and depended on a wheelchair for mobility.
Jurors acquitted Davila of the more serious allegations, delivering a not guilty verdict on one count each of aggravated manslaughter and reckless manslaughter.
Throughout the proceedings, the prosecution presented video evidence captured from within the bus, revealing the disturbing moment as Fajr gradually sank deeper into her seat while being choked by the harness, according to reports from New York CBS affiliate WCBS. The video captured Davila positioned just one seat ahead, absorbed in her headphones and cellphone, completely neglecting to check on the child she was responsible for.
Last week, Davila reportedly testified, acknowledging her error in not checking on Fajr and expressing her apologies to the victim’s family.
“I was scrolling through apps to go onto Instagram and texting,” Davila reportedly testified last week.
Nonetheless, she asserted that the child’s family improperly secured her in the wheelchair harness before sending her on the bus.
Also Read – Illinois Woman Accused of Allegedly Headbutting 6-Year-Old; Received Order and Instructions from Judge
“It’s the parent’s responsibility to buckle the top and bottom parts,” Davila’s defense attorney Michael Policastro reportedly said after Monday’s verdict. “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.”
Najmah Nash, Fajr’s mother, challenged Davila’s explanation regarding the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death.
According to earlier reports, authorities from the Franklin Township Police Department received an emergency call at approximately 9:04 a.m. on Monday, July 17, 2023, concerning an unresponsive 6-year-old girl at the Claremont School located in the 100 block of Claremont Road. First responders arrived at the location and immediately found the child, initiating CPR without delay.
Emergency Medical Services took a child to a nearby hospital’s intensive care unit, where she was later pronounced dead by doctors. Authorities from the Franklin Township Police Department, in collaboration with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, responded to the scene and assumed control of the investigation.
Authorities have discovered that the individual was enrolled in the extended-year program at the school and utilized a transit school bus for transportation to and from the facility. On the morning of July 17, 2023, as the victim boarded the bus, Davila, the assigned monitor, secured the victim’s wheelchair in the rear using a four-point harness, according to prosecutors.
“During the transport, a series of bumps in the road caused the 6-year-old to slump in her wheelchair seat making the 4-point harness which secured her to the chair to become tight around her neck ultimately blocking her airway,” a news release from multiple agencies said. “During the ride, the school bus monitor, Amanda Davila was seated towards the front of the bus and was utilizing a cellular telephone while wearing ear bud headphone devices in both ears. The investigation revealed that this was in violation of policies and procedures.”
Davila is scheduled to return to court on March 7 for her sentencing hearing. She could be sentenced to up to a decade in a state prison.