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Minnesota dad is jailed for just five years for starving daughter, 7, until she died of hunger on Christmas Day
A Minnesota father was sentenced to only five years in prison for starving his seven-year-old daughter to death.
Jewel Sky Fineday died on December 25, 2022 on the Red Lake Indian Reservation and was left 'not just thin, but skeletal,' due to 'a lack of care' from her father Julius Fineday Sr., 42, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Julius was sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to felony child neglect in connection to the tragic death of his young daughter.
The girl's grandmother and Julius' mother, Sharon Marie Rosebar, 63, was convicted on April 30 on the same charges. Her sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
During the father's sentencing, Judge Patrick Schiltz clarified Jewel did not starve because there was a lack of food in the household, but because Julius neglected his child in 'nearly every way' possible.
Jewel Sky Fineday, seven, died on December 25, 2022 on the Red Lake Indian Reservation after being starved by her father, Julius Fineday Sr., 42
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the little girl was 'not just thin, but skeletal,' due to 'a lack of care' from her father. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to five years in prison
Court documents revealed that the seven-year-old died from a combination of malnutrition and Group A Streptococcal infection (GAS) because of the neglect.
GAS is a contagious infection that often appears in the throat and skin, and although some cases are minor, others can cause life-threatening symptoms without treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Jewel also had severe head lice, was kept from attending school, and had not been to a doctor in three years- other than getting COVID vaccinations that were paid for through cash incentives, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
In a court filing ahead of the father's sentencing, defense attorney Robert Richman argued that his client should face just one year in prison for his actions, according to the Star Tribune.
Richman said that the little girl 'died as a result of poverty, neglect and a family overwhelmed by the burden of caring for 10 minor children. ... Had Indian Family and Children Services intervened sooner, [she] would still be alive,' the outlet reported.
The attorney added that in 2021, the girl's home 'was no long [sic] fit for human habitation. ... The home had no running water, heat or indoor plumbing. ... The walls had open holes with insulation hanging out, and the house was infested with mice and cockroaches.'
During the father's sentencing, Judge Patrick Schiltz (pictured) clarified Jewel did not starve because there was a lack of food in the household, but because Julius neglected his child in 'nearly every way' possible
He said Julius has acknowledged what he did to Jewel and that he 'tried to provide' for her and her siblings, but 'did not realize she was dangerously malnourished.'
Jewel's native name was Miikawaddizimikinaakikezens, which means 'Beautiful Turtle Girl,' according to her obituary.
She enjoyed playing hide and seek and tag with her cousins and siblings, dancing, and watching TiKTok videos on her father's phone.
'Jewel was always concerned about her dad, always making sure he was happy,' the obituary read.
A two-day wake was held for the little girl from January 4, 2023 -January 5, 2023 at the Ponemah Boys and Girls Club in Ponemah.
Schiltz said that he hopes that through his sentencing, other parents will understand that 'neglecting or abusing a child will result in negative consequences not only for the child, but also the responsible adult.'
Schiltz added that he hopes parents will consider Julius' fate and decide to 'pick up the phone' to ask for help in taking care of their children.
DeShaun Matinez, was commonly kept in a closet at the family home for 16 hours at a time, and weighed only 18 pounds when his corpse was found in March 2020
Following his time behind bars, Julius will face two years of supervised release for child neglect.
Another father from Arizona was sentenced to life in prison after starving his six-year-old son to death in 2020.
Anthony Jose Martinez, 28, received the sentence in Coconino County Superior Court on June 28, where his attorney also read an apologetic statement penned by him personally.
In it, Martinez apologized to the late child's three other siblings, two of whom did not suffer the same physical abuse, but still endured long-term harm, officials said.
The child who died, DeShaun Matinez, was commonly kept in a closet at the family home for 16 hours at a time - a crime that saw the kids' mother also sentenced to life in prison this time last year.