Trial begins for Philadelphia for caseworkers in starvation, neglect death of girl with CP

From WPVI-TV:

CENTER CITY -- The government says the four defendants should have been aware of Danieal Kelly's deplorable condition and should have done something about it. But, instead, they lied to save their own skins.

The defendants had little to say outside the courthouse.

They were supposed to be checking up on 14-year-old Danieal Kelly and her family.

Danieal (pictured) had cerebral palsy and was confined to a wheelchair.

She weighed just 42 pounds when she died in August of 2006.

An autopsy showed she died of starvation and severe neglect.

The defendants worked for MEBH, an agency hired by DHS to look after the Kelly family and others.

The government claims that after Kelly died, Michal Kamuvaka, the head of the company at that time, had her employees falsify records to show that caseworkers were visiting the Kelly household.

The government says two of those caseworkers, Julius Murray and Mariam Coulibaly never checked in on the Kellys.

They are charged with falsifying records.

Their lawyers reminded the jury that this is a fraud case, not a murder case.

This is just the beginning for two of the defendants.

Kamuvaka and Murray are also charged in the state's criminal homicide case. That case is expected to go to trial in November.