A mother of a one-year-old boy who died of a fentanyl overdose at a New York daycare said the owner’s sentence of 45 years on Monday was not enough to make up for her baby’s death.
Zoila Dominici, the heartbroken mother of baby Nicholas Feliz Dominici stated that the Divino Niño Daycare owner, Grei Mendez, deserved ‘no mercy’ before her 45-year sentence was handed out by a judge.
‘It is not possible to forgive something like this,’ Dominici said as she stared at 37-year-old Mendez in court on Monday.
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‘Forty-five years is not enough,’ the grieving mother added.
Though she often looked on as the proceedings continued, the mother of the dead one-year-old was seen trying to avoid regular eye contact with Mendez.
‘I do not forgive you,’ she said to Mendez, who was spotted shaking throughout the entire hearing in court. ‘Let God forgive you,’ Dominici added.
Baby Nicholas ingested the fatal drug in September 2023, and Mendez and her husband later confirmed that they secretly stored medicine underneath floor tiles where children played and often rested.
Three other children, all younger than age three faced a similar situation and were hospitalized after being poisoned, per a pre-sentencing court filing from the US Attorney’s Office.
At the time of the baby’s death, the daycare, which is Bronx-based, reportedly had lifesaving Narcan in stock, and Nicolas’ mother was left stunned after discovering the hidden truths of where she took her son.
Nonetheless, Mendez did not provide the anti-overdose medication as one-year-old Nicholas lay dying.
‘She had the key to helping these children and she didn’t use it,’ federal prosecutor Maggie Lynaugh said in court.
Upon the arrival of first responders, Mendez failed to disclose that the kids might be suffering from an opioid overdose, as the baby lay lifeless on the ground with blue lips and no pulse, according to court documents.
Mendez pleaded guilty to all counts, including conspiracy to share narcotics resulting in death last October.
On Monday, a federal judge sentenced Grei Mendez to 45 years in prison for her role in the fentanyl-related death of one-year-old Nicholas Dominici.
Prosecutors were actually seeking a life sentence, arguing she was the most responsible for the child’s death which could have been prevented in many ways.
After her September 16, 2023 arrest, Mendez repeatedly lied to federal agents, denying knowledge of the 11 kilograms of fentanyl hidden beneath sleeping children, as per reports.
However, court documents revealed she had previously packed drugs at the daycare.
Also, Mendez claimed she would never store narcotics near children yet later suggested a gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning was to blame.
During her sentencing, Nicholas’s mother broke down in tears, while his father, Otoniel Feliz, blamed Mendez, saying, “She only let my son die.” He added, “We didn’t just lose Nicholas; we lost our life.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Mendez responded to the couple and insisted it was all an accident, saying, “I know the suffering of Nicholas’s parents as a mother”.
She added that she was “traumatized” and that the tragedy would likely stay with her forever.
Judge Jed Rakoff ruled that Mendez and her husband shared equal culpability, stating she prioritized self-preservation over the chance to save a life.
