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Their attorney said the parents "loved their daughter to death"; her remains were found partly submerged in a hole in a couch covered from head to toe in urine, liquid feces, maggots and insect bites.
The parents of Lacey Ellen Fletcher -- whose body was found "fused" to a sofa by her own excrement -- pleaded no contest to reduced charges of manslaughter this week.
Sheila and Clay Fletcher, both 66, had initially been indicted by a grand jury on second-degree murder charges back in 2022. They pleaded not guilty at the time and continue to insist they didn't wish to hurt their daughter, who was 36 at the time of her death.
East Feliciana District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla said the pair "had no choice" but to plead no contest to the manslaughter charges. "This is an open and shut case -- they allowed their daughter to suffer unbearably on that couch," he told The Daily Mail on Monday, adding that they're seeking a max sentence of 40 years.
"We want this case to be a message. We want to stand for the people who can't speak for themselves, to say this treatment will not be tolerated," he added.
"They were negligent, yes," the couple's defense attorney Steven Moore also told the outlet. "It is clear they were negligent. They loved her to death, and that is the true statement of what the Fletchers are."
"Anyone with handicapped children can tell you those things can happen," added Moore. "This is an extreme example of how that happens ... Everybody says, how come this and how come that? They were blinded by her handicap and they tried to appease that handicap as best they could and this is the result. It's terrible, but that's what happened."
East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office
Coroner Dr. Ewell Bickham previously said the victim had been on the same couch for at least 12 years, saying she essentially "melted" into the furniture.
In a horrific scene, Lacey's emaciated body was discovered partially naked, sitting upright and partly submerged in a hole in a couch covered from head to toe in urine, liquid feces, maggots and insect bites at her parents' otherwise neat single family home.
Her feet were crossed underneath her on the couch deep inside the hole that her long-suffering body had worn through both the upholstery and cushion. Additionally it has been reported that Lacey had fecal matter on her face, chest and abdomen. Her hair was matted, knotted and filled with maggots – and she weighed less than 100lbs.
Lacey died while her parents were away on a weekend trip.
The cause of death, Bickham said, "stemmed from severe medical neglect, which led to chronic malnutrition, acute starvation, immobility, acute ulcer formation, osteomyelitis which is bone infection which led finally to sepsis."
Lacey had reportedly been diagnosed with social anxiety and severe autism. Per The Advocate, the Fletchers said their daughter was "of sound mind" but was afraid to leave the couch.
Her parents will be sentenced on March 20.
