A Philadelphia woman has admitted she endangered the welfare of a 21-year-old Upper Dublin man with cerebral palsy who died last year after months of neglect.
Loretta Harris, 46, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, theft by deception, and conspiracy to commit theft, according to a report.
Prosecutors said Harris, who was supposed to help care for Tylim Hatchett, instead conspired with his mother to collect more than $12,000 in payments for services she never provided.
Hatchett, who was blind, nonverbal, and unable to walk, was found unresponsive at his mother’s Market Street apartment on Sept. 18, 2024. Investigators said he had been left alone for long stretches, deprived of food and medicine, and had lost 31 lbs. between February and September. He weighed just 59 lbs. at the time of his death. An autopsy ruled the death a homicide, citing “complications of cerebral palsy in the setting of neglect.
Detectives found that Harris and Hatchett’s mother, 43-year-old Sherrilynn Hawkins, routinely logged hours with Aveanna Healthcare for time they were not present. In the final 18 days of his life, Tylim was left alone 82% of the time, records show.
Harris, who showed little emotion in court, faces a possible maximum sentence of 10½ to 21 years in prison. Judge Wendy G. Rothstein deferred sentencing pending a background report.
Hawkins awaits a November jury trial on charges including first- and third-degree murder, neglect, and abuse of a care-dependent person. If convicted of first-degree murder, she faces life in prison.
The victim’s father, Vernon Hatchett, also known as Khaliyl Ward, is charged with neglect and abuse but has been on the run since January after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
