DETROIT – A brawl broke out Thursday morning in the Detroit courtroom where a mother and her boyfriend were awaiting sentencing after being convicted in a 3-year-old girl's death.
Jamila Smith died last September after her mother, Jasmine Gordon, rushed her to Henry Ford Hospital. Authorities said the girl had bruises on her head and chest, which were consistent with abuse.
A jury convicted Gordon of involuntary manslaughter and first-degree child abuse.
Gordon's boyfriend, Clifford Daniel Thomas, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and resisting and obstructing a police officer.
The two were in the courtroom for their sentencing when Jamila's biological father, Dwayne Smith, got up to make a victim impact statement. Smith walked up to Thomas and started yelling and punching him in the head.
Deputies rushed into separate the two and the courtroom was cleared.
Later in the day, Gordon was sentenced to 14 to 25 years on the child abuse conviction and 7 to 15 years on the manslaughter conviction. Her sentences will run concurrent.
Thomas was sentenced to 4.5 to 15 years on the manslaughter conviction and 1 to 2 years on the resisting police conviction.