Woman Accused of Killing Child in 2022 Rejects Plea Offer

Baltimore Court Seal

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.

Donate Now

On Sept. 20, a Baltimore County woman accused of killing a one-year-old child rejected a plea offer before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn.

The prosecutor offered Aurielle Angelique Montgomery a sentence of life, suspending all but 25 years, with three years of supervised probation for first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a child under 13. Montgomery’s attorney, Alex Leikus, declined on his client’s behalf.

Judge Phinn then scheduled Montgomery’s trial for Jan. 26, 2024, before Judge Lawrence P.  Fletcher-Hill. The trial is expected to last four days. 

Montgomery is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a child under 13 years of age, first-degree child abuse resulting in severe physical injury and second-degree child abuse by a custodian in connection to the Oct. 4, 2022, incident.

According to a Baltimore Police Department (BPD) press release, officers responded to the 2700 block of Ellicott Driveway for a reported unresponsive baby. Despite attempts to render aid, medics pronounced the victim dead on the scene. Medical examiners later ruled Nyemia Gilliard’s death as a homicide caused by trauma.