The mother of one four-year-old Miami girl who died from a gunshot wound to the head by her younger brotherwas arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter and other criminal charges.
Krystal Banegas, 24, was arrested by Miami-Dade Police and sent to the county’s TGK Jail.
The arrest occurred a month after little Josalyn Marie Taylor-Rolle was fatally shot by her three-year-old brother.
The tragic event occurred on November 5 at 2:40 pm at a home in the 8180 block of Northwest 21st Avenue, in the West Little River area. The minor was rushed to the hospital, where she died days later.
The gun, a Taurus 9MM revolver, belonged to Krystal’s boyfriend, a 25-year-old convicted felon named Quavanta Ennels. The accident occurred when the girl and her brothers were in a room where the man kept the gun in his backpack.
After the fatal outcome, Ennels acknowledged that he had purchased it illegally months ago, that he did not have a license to carry it and that he had left it unattended within the reach of children.
Both Krystal and her partner face one count of aggravated manslaughter and three counts of child neglect. He was already facing charges for possession of a firearm.
According to his arrest warrant, the house where the couple and children lived was neglected, with cockroaches and a rat roaming around the place.
“On the living room floor there was a small pink tray with marijuana residue. An additional tray with marijuana residue and pieces of brown tobacco leaves was also observed on the dining room table, along with food products and baby bottles,” he explained. The report.
