Gwinnett mother, boyfriend found guilty in infant’s death, child had broken ribs, fractured skull, burns to mouth

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – A Norcross couple was convicted of manslaughter for the death of the woman’s 10-month-old son.

Dennisa Mary Vega and Jahlin Javante Corey, both 33, were each found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and battery (two counts for Vega, the child’s mother, and one count for Corey) for the September 2019 death of young Amir Vega. A Gwinnett County jury also found Vega guilty of second-degree cruelty to children and found Corey guilty of two counts of aggravated battery.

Corey received a sentence of 50 years, with 15 to serve in confinement, while Vega received a 21-year sentence with 15 to serve in prison. Both are prohibited from having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 12, including their own respective children.

“This 10-month-old infant, Amir Vega, died as a result of these defendants’ crimes,” Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “He will never grow into an adult. This is the verdict the jury rendered after assessing the evidence in the case. We hope that this sends a message that children must be cared for and not abused in our community.”

Emergency responders were called to the Norcross apartment Vega shared with Corey and her three children just before 5 a.m., on Sept. 2, 2019, and found Amir Vega unresponsive and breathing only six breaths a minute. Burns to his mouth and other abrasions on his face were visible. Emergency medical technicians performed CPR while en route to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, but the child was pronounced dead at the hospital.

An autopsy determined that amongst other injuries, Amir Vega had a skull fracture, broken ribs, lacerations to his tongue and inside his mouth, bruises to his abdomen and arms, and lacerations to his small intestine. During trial, Gwinnett County Medical Examiner  Carol Terry testified that the child’s injuries happened several days before his death and were indicative of abuse.

Gwinnett County Managing Assistant District Attorney Angela Mattozzi and Assistant District Attorney Selwin Patterson prosecuted the case. DA’s investigator Dennis Hennelly and victim witness advocate Chelsey Thomas assisted with closing the case. The Gwinnett County Police Department and the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office were invaluable to the prosecution of this case.Pictured: Dennisa

Pictured: Dennisa Mary Vega and Jahlin Javante Corey. Booking photos via Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office