A Leon County Circuit Court jury awarded Hannah Sheffield $7.6 million for the death of her four-month-old son Weston, who died at the hands of daycare worker Brittany Knight four years ago in an unlicensed daycare facility.
Knight, 37, pleaded no contest two years ago to aggravated manslaughter for the death of Weston Sheffield and is serving a 9-year sentence at the Gadsden Correctional Facility. The boy was found dead June 9, 2015, lying face down in an adult bed at 2415 Tree Top Court, covered with blankets and pillows.
A toxicology report found Benadryl in his system. The medical examiner ruled his death was caused by positional asphyxiation.
Sheffield, represented by Keisha Rice and Patrick Frank, sued the couple Knight was staying with, Greg and Alice Schofield, who leased the house where she was operating an unlicensed daycare.
They did not appear in court Friday to dispute the facts of the case, so the jury moved directly to weigh damages. Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey presided.
The jury found both Schofields equally negligent in the child’s death.