Prosecutors in Pennsylvania are seeking the death penalty for a 30-year-old mother and her 33-year-old fiance for allegedly killing the woman’s 2-year-old daughter, who was beaten and tortured to death over several days.
The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office filed a Notice of Aggravating Circumstances in the cases against Celia Nunn and Emmanuel Dennis last week, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Dennis is accused of fatally beating young Margaret “Maggie” Nunn while the victim’s mother was allegedly aware of what was going on but did not intervene. She also allegedly refused to seek medical attention and did not contact the authorities.
Both are charged with first-degree murder in the brutal October 2024 slaying.
According to court documents obtained by the local Observer-Reporter newspaper, prosecutors seek the death penalty based on two aggravating factors: Maggie’s age and allegations that the couple tortured her.
“As far as torture goes, the repeated abuse led us to believe that the child suffered for a long time before passing away,” Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele reportedly said Wednesday. “We will do everything we can to severely punish those who harm our children. This type of behaviour will not be tolerated within the county.”
As previously reported by Law&Crime, troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police responded to an apartment complex in the 300 block of the Village of Searights apartments in Uniontown on the afternoon of October 21, 2024, after being contacted by emergency medical personnel who were treating an unresponsive 2-year-old at one of the residences. The complex is located just over 300 miles north-west of Philadelphia.
Maggie was discovered face down, with what appeared to be dried vomit around her mouth, according to The Herald-Standard, a local news website. She also appeared to be bruised and scratched.
During an interview with investigators, Dennis, who claimed to be engaged to Maggie’s mother, reportedly admitted to physically abusing Maggie, telling detectives that the toddler was experiencing the “terrible twos.” He specifically stated that he kicked Maggie across an upstairs hallway, according to the Herald-Standard.
Dennis also claimed Maggie fell at least six times over the weekend, striking her head.
A particularly bizarre detail about the interview stuck out to investigators, who reportedly noted that throughout their conversation with Dennis, he repeatedly referred to Maggie simply as “it.”
Nunn reportedly told police that she had personally witnessed Dennis physically abusing Maggie for the previous four days. In one instance, she said he dragged the girl to her room by her arm and repeatedly hit her until she lost consciousness.
Nunn stated that she advocated for Maggie’s admission to the hospital, but Dennis refused because he was concerned that her condition would result in an investigation by Children and Youth Services. However, prosecutors claim Nunn simply chose not to assist Maggie in order to avoid getting into trouble herself.
“This child was suffering. Within her final days, she couldn’t even sit up straight, but her parents continued to punish her, put her in time out, and knew they needed to get help for her but feared they’d get in trouble if they did,” Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said last week, according to Pittsburgh NBC affiliate WPXI.
“It is not worth addressing any claim [that] this child was acting or behaving differently than any other child.” We only have a callous, disgusting attitude expressed by both Mr. Dennis and the child’s mother. There is simply no excuse for it.