Pennsylvania — Prosecutors in Pennsylvania are seeking the death penalty against a 30-year-old mother and her 33-year-old fiance for allegedly killing the woman’s 2-year-old daughter who was beaten and tortured to death over the course of several days.
The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office filed a Notice of Aggravating Circumstances in the cases against Celia Nunn and Emmanuel Dennis last week, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Dennis is accused of fatally beating young Margaret “Maggie” Nunn while the victim’s mother was allegedly aware of what was going on but did not intervene. She also allegedly refused to seek medical attention and did not contact the authorities.
Both are facing first-degree murder charges in the brutal October 2024 slaying.
According to court documents obtained by the local Observer-Reporter newspaper, prosecutors seek the death penalty based on two aggravating factors: Maggie’s age and allegations that the couple tortured her.
“As far as torture goes, the repeated abuse led us to believe that the child suffered for a long time before passing away,” Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele reportedly said Wednesday. “We will do everything we can to severely punish those who harm our children. This type of behaviour will not be tolerated within the county.”
As previously reported by Law&Crime, troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police responded to an apartment complex in the 300 block of the Village of Searights apartments in Uniontown on the afternoon of October 21, 2024, after being contacted by emergency medical personnel who were treating an unresponsive 2-year-old at one of the residences. The complex is just over 300 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Maggie was discovered face down, with what appeared to be dried vomit around her mouth, according to The Herald-Standard, a local news website. She also appeared to be bruised and scratched.
During an interview with investigators, Dennis, who claimed to be engaged to Maggie’s mother, reportedly admitted to physically abusing Maggie, telling detectives that the toddler was experiencing the “terrible twos.” He specifically stated that he kicked Maggie across an upstairs hallway, per the Herald-Standard.
Dennis also claimed that Maggie had fallen at least six times over the weekend and struck her head.
Investigators were struck by a particularly bizarre detail about the interview: Dennis repeatedly referred to Maggie as “it” throughout their conversation.
Nunn reportedly told police that she had personally witnessed Dennis physically abusing Maggie for the previous four days. In one instance, she claimed he dragged the girl into her room by her arm and repeatedly hit her until she passed out.
Nunn stated that she advocated for Maggie’s admission to the hospital, but Dennis refused because he was concerned that her condition would result in an investigation by Children and Youth Services. However, prosecutors claim Nunn simply chose not to assist Maggie in order to avoid getting into trouble herself.
“This child was suffering. Within her final days, she couldn’t even sit up straight, but her parents continued to punish her, put her in time out, and knew they needed to get help for her but feared they’d get in trouble if they did,” Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said last week, according to Pittsburgh NBC affiliate WPXI.
“It is not worth addressing any claim [that] this child was acting or behaving differently than any other child.” We have just a callous, disgusting attitude that was expressed not only by Mr. Dennis but by the child’s mother. There is simply no excuse for it.
