Probation for Baton Rouge Woman in Casino Trip Child Death Case

• Child died after being left unsupervised during casino trip
• Terica Scott was sentenced to probation for negligent homicide, court says
• Two boys face murder charges in toddler’s fatal beating

 One of two Louisiana women arrested after leaving children home alone with tragic consequences while they went to a casino has been granted probation by a Baton Rouge judge. While the women gambled, two older boys attacked a three-year-old girl, Blessing Buckles. The toddler later died of her injuries.

Prosecutors originally charged Terica Denise Scott, 28, who was Buckles’ aunt, with manslaughter and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile. This week, she pleaded guilty to reduced charges of negligent homicide and cruelty to a juvenile, according to court records.

Dinesha Yates, Buckles’ mother, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile in April.

Boys Arrested

On Feb. 12, 2024, the pair left eight children ranging from 11 months to 12 years at Scott’s home in Baton Rouge for several hours while they went to a nearby casino, according to investigators.

Blessing was found unresponsive and rushed to the hospital, where she died two days later from blunt-force trauma and a fatal brain bleed.

Two boys aged 10 and 12, who are Scott’s son and nephew, were arrested and have been charged with murder. The status of that case isn’t immediately clear.

History of Violence

Yates and Scott admitted to investigators that they regularly left the kids home alone, despite one of the older boys having a history of violence against the younger ones. Yates reported seeing bruises on at least one of her daughters after the children had been left alone with the boy.

Court records show Scott has been arrested more than 30 times since 2014 on counts of theft, criminal trespass, drug possession, and arson.

In July 2021, a grand jury indicted her on a charge of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a woman named Dakayla Bailey, but she was never tried or convicted in that case.