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PROVO — A Cedar Hills man has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in the death of his 13-month-old daughter, who police say died after eating her parent's heroin.
Casey Joseph Cormani, 32, pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted manslaughter, a third-degree felony, in the death of Penny Mae Cormani.
Penny died of a heroin overdose large enough to kill an adult, according to police.
He was originally charged with endangerment of a child, a first-degree felony. An additional charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor, was dismissed as part of the deal.
Cormani is expected to serve time in prison for the manslaughter charge, which carries a potential sentence of up to five years, but he could remain out of custody on probation until his June 7 sentencing hearing, according to plea documents.
Police say Cormani and Penny's mother, Cassandra Leydsman Richards, 33, had been staying a short time with another couple in a Provo apartment, 509 W. 1800 North, prior to their daughter's December 2015 death.
Charging documents say both couples were known to use heroin and had been "binging" for several days when Penny died.
Richards told police that on Dec. 2, 2015, Penny had been playing in the front room of the home while the mother did laundry. She put the girl down for a nap around 11 a.m., Richards told investigators, and found her unresponsive an hour later with blue lips.
Richards called 911 and paramedics took Penny to Utah Valley Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators reported finding drug paraphernalia, such as burnt foil and straws, in plain sight in multiple places around the home, including on the floor, on a coffee table and in a bathroom trash can.
Cormani and Richards were arrested and charged in June 2016, six months after Penny died.
Richards was sentenced to up to five years in prison last month for child abuse homicide, a third-degree felony. She had pleaded guilty to the charge in January as a second-degree felony, but prosecutors agreed to reduce it at sentencing as part of the plea deal, according to court documents.
Also in the plea, Richards had agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against Cormani if the case against him proceeded to trial.
Both Cormani and Richards, who have prior drug convictions, have faced additional criminal charges in unrelated incidents involving drugs following their daughter's death.
