Liberti N. Figueroa was convicted Aug. 12 of two counts of aggravated endangering of a child following a two-day jury trial in Leavenworth County District Court. The jury acquitted her of involuntary manslaughter, per a release from the office of Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.

During a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 15, Figueroa was sentenced to six months in prison on each charge, for a total of 12 months. The judge suspended the sentence and placed Figueroa–who had already served 170 days in the Leavenworth County Jail–on probation.

The charges stemmed from two separate incidents involving the same child:

Sept. 20, 2023: Evidence showed Figueroa was in an upstairs bedroom of her Leavenworth apartment when the victim suffered burns. Figueroa told investigators the burns occurred when an ashtray tipped over and fell onto the victim, who was lying on a bed. On Feb. 19, 2025, she was charged with aggravated endangering of a child in connection with this incident–the same charge she was later convicted of on Aug. 12.

Oct. 18, 2023: Emergency crews were dispatched to the same apartment for a report of a child not breathing. The child was taken to a Leavenworth hospital, where they were pronounced dead at about 6:35 p.m.

Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Figueroa left for work, leaving her boyfriend of a few months to supervise the victim and a 4-year-old child. Figueroa told investigators her boyfriend “wasn’t a very responsible person.” She returned home around 1 p.m. but did not check on the victim until about 5 p.m.

Figueroa told police that after returning home, she and her friends smoked marijuana inside the apartment. Evidence also indicated she left the home at one point to purchase marijuana and then returned.

An autopsy determined the child died from head trauma that caused internal bleeding. While Figueroa was not accused of directly inflicting the injuries, prosecutors argued she acted recklessly by causing or permitting a child under age 18 to be placed in a situation that endangered the child’s life, body, or health–ultimately resulting in the child’s death.

That alleged recklessness led prosecutors to charge Figueroa with both aggravated endangering of a child and involuntary manslaughter in a complaint filed Feb. 19, 2025. The jury ultimately convicted her only of aggravated endangering of a child.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said the case underscores the importance of accountability in child welfare cases.

“If these crimes had occurred today, they would fall within the border box range of the sentencing guidelines–giving the court discretion to impose prison,” Thompson said. “That change came when other prosecutors and I pushed for a change in 2024. But because this tragedy happened before those changes, and the defendant had no criminal history, the law requires presumptive probation.

“This was a devastating case. We presented the facts to the jury, and they returned a guilty verdict. We may never know exactly what caused this child’s death, but we do know that a parent’s first responsibility is to protect their child.”