A former babysitter has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the 2019 death of a man she was accused of disabling as an infant 40 years ago. Terry McKirchy accepted a plea deal Wednesday. She had been facing a murder charge for the death of Benjamin Dowling. He died at 35 after a life with severe disabilities caused by a brain hemorrhage he suffered in 1984 when he was 5 months old while at McKirchy’s home. In a letter of apology read to Dowling’s parents by her attorney, McKirchy said she was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by taking care of numerous children and struck him, causing his injuries.
