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Mother, grandmother of Braylen Noble take pleas in 3-year-old's death

Dajnae Cox, Braylen's mother, entered an Alford plea to attempted child endangering and obstructing justice. She faces up to 30 months in prison.

TOLEDO, Ohio — The mother and grandmother of Braylen Noble pleaded guilty Monday to charges related to his 2020 death.

Dajnae Cox, Braylen's mother, entered an Alford plea to attempted child endangering and obstructing justice. She faces up to 30 months in prison and $7,500 in fines.

An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt, but an admission that evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to trial.

Bobbie Johnson, Braylen's grandmother, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice.

Johnson told the judge that she took the guilty plea because she is guilty.

Johnson is facing 180 days in jail and $1,000 in fines.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 14.

Braylen was found dead in a Toledo apartment complex pool in September 2020. He was 3 years old.

Prosecutors said they had more than a terabyte of virtual data for the defense attorneys to comb through. The prosecution presented to the judge more evidence from Braylen's death, focusing on the facts that the coroner found during his autopsy.

RELATED: Braylen Noble autopsy rules manner of death 'undetermined' with 'submersion in water' as contributing cause

The state says Cox gave Braylen pineapple for breakfast the last morning he was seen alive. The coroner found pineapple in his stomach during the autopsy and revealed that it would have been in his stomach only for four hours before going through the digestive system.

Cox and Johnson originally reported the child missing, saying he fell from a third-story window. The coroner's report confirmed Braylen's submersion in water was a contributing factor in his death, but the circumstances surrounding his death were ruled inconclusive.

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