Father acquitted of top charge after baby’s 2024 death inside Staten Island apartment

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A West Brighton father indicted in the 2024 death of his infant son has been acquitted by a judge of the top counts, and found guilty of a misdemeanor charge.

The defendant, Leonard Thompson, 38, opted for a bench trial in lieu of a jury.

Prosecutors and the defense both presented their cases to Justice Alexander B. Jeong last month in state Supreme Court, St. George. Jeong acquitted Thompson of reckless endangerment charges and convicted him of endangering the welfare of a child.

Thompson was sentenced to one year on Rikers Island, which he already served. The top count, first-degree reckless endangerment, carried a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Indicted in child’s death

Emergency crews responded to a 911 call at 240 Broadway in West Brighton on the morning of April 27, 2024, for a report of an unconscious 1-month-old boy.

The child showed signs of serious burns on his arm, which the couple said occurred two weeks prior in a cooking accident. They chose to treat the child at home, prosecutors said.

In speaking with investigators, Thompson allegedly said he was holding the baby by the stove when his 4-year-old son kicked a toy into a pan, spilling grease onto the infant.

Prosecutors argued Thompson and the child’s mother, Jenice Lightfoot, 38, were responsible for the child’s death after they failed to properly handle the medical emergency.

They said the child should have been seen by a doctor, adding that the over-the-counter pain medication administered by the parents was actually harmful to infants — which, they furthered, is noted on the label.

Baby died of SIDS, says M.E.

The city medical examiner’s office determined the child’s burns did not directly cause the death.

Instead, the cause was deemed Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which essentially means unexplained, court proceedings revealed.

Thompson’s attorney, Michael Cirigliano, issued the following statement:

“Mr. Thompson suffered an unimaginable tragedy with the death of his infant son, and that tragedy was compounded by a baseless prosecution alleging he acted with depraved indifference.

“I am pleased that the court made a decision grounded in common sense and the law and acquitted my client of the charged felony.”

Family, city records paint complicated past

Following the parents’ arrests, they were arraigned together in Criminal Court. As Lightfoot was escorted into the courtroom, she turned toward family members seated in the gallery and mouthed “I love you.”

As they were led out by officers, Thompson shook his head as if in disbelief. A month prior, he and Lightfoot were posing together, smiling, in a photo with the newborn child.

Around the same time, he had an open misdemeanor case in connection with a fight at a local homeless shelter, according to court records and an NYPD spokesperson said at the time.

Outside the courtroom, family of Lightfoot described her as a good mother and “always sweet.”

“She takes care of her kids,” said Antonia Lightfoot, 25, who told the Daily News that Lightfoot helped raise her. “I was happy when I heard the news that she was pregnant again.”

Lightfoot pleaded guilty earlier this year to reckless endangerment, and was sentenced by Jeong in February to six months in jail.

‘Conviction is significant’: D.A.

In a written statement, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said that while the verdict in Thompson’s case “did not result in the full measure of justice we sought, the court did find the defendant guilty of a crime.”

“That conviction is significant; it acknowledges wrongdoing and brings a level of accountability for the harm caused,” said McMahon.

“The victim in this case was an innocent infant, someone who had no one else in their corner advocating for justice on their behalf. These cases are always heartbreaking and challenging, but this office will always stand up for justice on behalf of the most vulnerable in our community.”

He went on to thank Special Victims Bureau Chief Rhiannon La Tour and Assistant District Attorney Nicole Juliano for their “tenacious” and “passionate” efforts in handling the case, along with NYPD investigators.