On Monday, March 17, 2025, 27-year-old Margaret Elizabeth Lehman and 30-year-old Mark Edward Brittian Jr. were sentenced in connection with the 2021 death of their 11-month-old daughter, Marcelyn Brittian. Judge Cary F. Rada sentenced Lehman to 13 years in prison and Brittian to 13.25 years.
Both Lehman and Brittian had been charged with Aggravated Manslaughter after the Leesburg Police Department responded to their residence in September 2021 for a report of an unresponsive infant.
According to police reports, officers arrived at the home and found the living conditions to be deplorable. The residence had a strong odor of garbage and rotting food, with unsanitary conditions throughout. The unresponsive infant was discovered in a dirty playpen, covered in dirt and dried feces.
Emergency responders attempted life-saving measures on the child, but those efforts were unsuccessful. The infant was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
During questioning, Lehman and Brittian claimed that their daughter and their 3-year-old child were happy and healthy. However, investigators later determined that Brittian had contacted two other individuals 15 minutes before calling 911 that morning.
A medical examiner’s report concluded that Marcelyn Brittian had not eaten in two to three days prior to her death and was severely malnourished.
Following the investigation, both parents were arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter. Their surviving child was placed in the care of family members.
State Attorney Bill Gladson stated, “This is disgusting, the most vulnerable of our society has been victimized by the most evil. At least in prison, they’ll both receive food, unlike their innocent child.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Gabriel Lozano with investigative efforts led by the Leesburg Police Department and medical professionals.
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