2 plead guilty to lying to grand jury about health of Danieal Kelly

A Department of Human Services investigator testified before a grand jury in November 2006 that the case of Danieal Kelly, the 14-year-old girl who suffered from cerebral palsy and died of starvation and neglect in her mother's Parkside home earlier that year, was one of the worst he had seen.

But Diamond Brantley, 22, and Marie Moses, 35, who were friends of the girl's mother, Andrea Kelly, told the same grand jury that Danieal looked fine, that she smelled clean and that the house was spotless.

Yesterday, Brantley and Moses pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for lying to the grand jury and trying to protect their friend.

Ed McCann, one of the assistant district attorneys prosecuting the case, said that the women's testimony was at odds with reality.

"The evidence suggested from Danieal's brother, Daniel, that Danieal probably died that same day that they said she was in good condition," McCann said.

"There were flies on her body, her lips were purple, she wasn't reacting to stimulus at all, and by all accounts the house was completely in disarray," McCann said.

During the short afternoon hearing, Brantley and Moses answered quietly as Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner asked the women if they understood the rights they were giving up as a result of entering the guilty plea.

William Bowes, the attorney for Moses, declined to comment after yesterday's proceedings.

Tim Barton, the attorney for Brantley, could not be reached for comment.

Sentencing for both defendants was scheduled for July 2. State guidelines call for probation, McCann said.