A Louisiana woman was sentenced to life in prison more than two years after prosecutors said she abandoned her two young sons outside during hurricane conditions, causing her 4-year-old to drown near a highway.
Aaliyah N. Jack, of Lake Charles, was handed a life sentence on Thursday, November 5, in connection with her 4-year-old son’s death, according to a news release from the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office.
She also received a 15-year sentence in connection with the abandonment of her younger son, who was only 1 year old.
Jack, now 28, abandoned her 4-year-old son, Legend, at a welcome center off of Interstate 10 in southwestern Louisiana before he was found dead in a nearby body of water in July 2024, according to prosecutors.
Afterward, she allegedly left her son, Kingtrail, in a ditch on the side of the highway, where he survived for two days until a truck driver discovered the boy by himself.
Legend was found behind a welcome center in Vinton, near the Texas border, during stormy conditions stemming from a hurricane on July 8, 2024, per NBC affiliate KPLC-TV. (An autopsy confirmed Legend had drowned.)
That day, Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas, according to the National Weather Service.
Kingtrail was reportedly found crawling toward the highway the next morning, not far from where Legend died.
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Stitch Guillory described the 1-year-old as a “miracle baby” at time, according to KPLC-TV. Guillory said the boy was found with insect bites after he was abandoned.
Before her sentencing, Jack was found guilty on September 14 of second-degree murder and cruelty to juveniles, according to the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office.
According to The Advocate, prosecutors alleged during the trial that Jack had been unhappy with a custody agreement involving her children and Legend’s paternal grandmother, Dion Polk, before she put the boys in her car and abandoned them while driving to Houston.
Polk told the outlet she felt relief following Jack’s conviction. She also said Legend loved his little brother.
“I felt like justice was served for Legend because that’s what it was about,” Polk said. “It was about Legend and Kingtrail.”
In a statement on Thursday, Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Stephen Dwight said Jack’s sentence ensures she “will spend the rest of her life behind bars, held accountable for the horrific actions that took the life of an innocent child and caused unimaginable suffering to another.”
“A life sentence for murder, followed by an additional 15 years for cruelty to juveniles, reflects the severity of these crimes and the lasting harm inflicted on these children,” Dwight added. “While no sentence can undo what happened or restore the life that was lost, we hope this outcome brings some measure of justice and closure.”
