Parents of woman found 'melted' to couch plead no contest to manslaughter
The parents of Lacey Ellen Fletcher, the 36-year-old woman who was found dead, rotting and fused with her family's couch in early 2022, pleaded no contest on Monday to manslaughter, it has been revealed.
Sheila and Clay Fletcher, both of East Feliciana, Louisiana, were accused of horrific neglect after their daughter, who suffered from locked-in-syndrome and who also reportedly was on the autism spectrum, was found covered in urine and liquid faeces, her body crawling with maggots that had also invaded the couch, which had begun to sink into the floor of the family's living room.
Locked-in syndrome is defined by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as "a rare disorder of the nervous system" that results in complete and total paralysis save for eye movement, all while the patient remains mentally aware of their situation despite being utterly unable to communicate, save through eye movements in some occasions.
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Lacey's parents pleaded no contest to the manslaughter charges (WBRZ)Essentially, the patient is locked into their own bodies, held prisoner by their own bones and flesh. As a result, they need complete and total care just to survive, but Sheila and Clay allegedly severely neglected their daughter, not providing her with her needs.
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She allegedly weighed just around 90 pounds when she was found in January 2022, and the police have alleged that she sat on the disgusting couch on which she was found for around 12 years and even had Covid-19 at the time of her death.
New details emerged after the autopsy was conducted on Lacey in 2022, and the Daily Mail reported that the neglect was so severe that maggots had begun to grow inside Lacey even before she had died. Her official cause of death was deemed sepsis, which was caused by several other conditions that had piled up over time, including bone infections, prolonged immobility and malnutrition.
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The home in which Lacey's disintegrating body was discovered (WBRZ)Sheila and Clay were both immediately charged with second-degree murder, but those charges were later reduced to manslaughter after a judge ruled that they had been incorrectly charged at first, citing some wording issues.
And on Monday, WBRZ reported that the couple plead no contest to the charges, which could carry a maximum sentence of 40 years for them both. East Feliciana Parish District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla told the Daily Mail that the Fletchers "had no choice" in the matter, as "this is an open-and-shut case."
D'Aquilla has pushed for the maximum sentence in their case, as he said that would send "a message," adding: "We want to stand for the people who can't speak for themselves, to say this treatment will not be tolerated."
The couch after Lacey's body was removed, depicting the faeces, urine and rot that set in from her 12 years of sitting there in neglect (East Feliciana Parish Coroner's)In fact, D'Aquilla pushed for the couple to have their bond cut short and for them to be jailed immediately, given the heinous crime. But the judge allowed them to continue with their bond until Feb. 20, when they are asked to turn themselves in. Exactly one month later, on March 20, their sentencing hearing was set, where the couple will find out what punishment they are to receive.
The couple's defense attorney admitted their severe neglect of their daughter, according to the Daily Mail. Steven Moore said: "They were negligent, yes. It is clear they were negligent. They loved her to death — that is the true statement with the Fletchers. They loved their daughter to death." He pushed for leniency, citing the couple's remorse and their lack of intentions to hurt Lacey.
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