Wilkens Adonis and Daryllee Leibrock charged in death of toddler son, Joseph
The parents of a Holbrook toddler who died of a suspected drug overdose in January were arraigned Monday on a superseding indictment charging them with manslaughter for causing his death.
Wilkens Adonis and Daryllee Leibrock, 38, both pleaded not guilty to the upgraded manslaughter, drugs and weapons charges at separate arraignments before acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead.
Prosecutors said the manslaughter charges were the result of toxicology and DNA testing that confirmed investigators' belief that Joseph Adonis ingested fentanyl, cocaine and heroin allegedly handled by his parents.
“The preliminary DNA analysis in this case indicated that the child's DNA was found in proximity to the drug packaging that was found in the defendants' bedroom,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a media briefing Monday.
Joseph Adonis, who was one day shy of 14 months old, died on Jan. 3 after he was found by police unresponsive in his home, prosecutors said. Inside the home police found over one-eighth ounce of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, and over one-eighth ounce of cocaine, as well as alprazolam, which is also known as Xanax, methadone, drug packaging material, scales, an electronic stun gun, a loaded shotgun and a rifle, prosecutors said.
Tierney said an autopsy by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's office concluded the toddler's cause of death was acute mixed-drug intoxication.
On Monday, Goglas ordered additional DNA testing requested by prosecutors seeking to tie the parents to DNA samples found on the drug packaging. Bail was set for both defendants at $500,000 cash, $1 million bond and $5 million partially secured bond. They remain incarcerated at the county jail.
Wilkens Adonis’ attorney, Matthew Tuohy, said his client “is maintaining his innocence.”
“He's gonna fight the case,” Tuohy said, noting that both parents have been charged and it was his client who had custody of the infant while Leibrock was ordered by the court to stay away from the child but had not.
“He was being monitored by probation and the family court and was doing very well,” Tuohy said of Wilkens Adonis.
Attorney Ian Fitzgerald, of Central Islip, declined to comment on the case after handling the arraignment of Leibrock, who also faces charges for violating the orders of protection for Joseph Adonis and an 11-year-old child who was also in the Dolphin Lane home at the time of the toddler's death.
Someone from inside the home called 911 at about 8 a.m. on Jan. 3 and police found the child unresponsive, prosecutors said. Tierney declined to say if anyone else was living in the home with the family. The toddler was taken via ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Wilkens Adonis had prior convictions for felony and misdemeanor drug possession and attempted assault dating back to 2009, prosecutors said. He served more than a year in jail for his previous convictions.
In total, the couple is facing 28 charges in the superseding indictment, including a top charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a Class B felony.
Tierney said he fears as adult fentanyl overdose deaths continue to rise in Suffolk County, so too will accidental overdoses of young children.
“It's a crisis,” the district attorney said.
The parents of a Holbrook toddler who died of a suspected drug overdose in January were arraigned Monday on a superseding indictment charging them with manslaughter for causing his death.
Wilkens Adonis and Daryllee Leibrock, 38, both pleaded not guilty to the upgraded manslaughter, drugs and weapons charges at separate arraignments before acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead.
Prosecutors said the manslaughter charges were the result of toxicology and DNA testing that confirmed investigators' belief that Joseph Adonis ingested fentanyl, cocaine and heroin allegedly handled by his parents.
“The preliminary DNA analysis in this case indicated that the child's DNA was found in proximity to the drug packaging that was found in the defendants' bedroom,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a media briefing Monday.
Joseph Adonis, who was one day shy of 14 months old, died on Jan. 3 after he was found by police unresponsive in his home, prosecutors said. Inside the home police found over one-eighth ounce of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, and over one-eighth ounce of cocaine, as well as alprazolam, which is also known as Xanax, methadone, drug packaging material, scales, an electronic stun gun, a loaded shotgun and a rifle, prosecutors said.
Tierney said an autopsy by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's office concluded the toddler's cause of death was acute mixed-drug intoxication.
On Monday, Goglas ordered additional DNA testing requested by prosecutors seeking to tie the parents to DNA samples found on the drug packaging. Bail was set for both defendants at $500,000 cash, $1 million bond and $5 million partially secured bond. They remain incarcerated at the county jail.
Wilkens Adonis’ attorney, Matthew Tuohy, said his client “is maintaining his innocence.”
“He's gonna fight the case,” Tuohy said, noting that both parents have been charged and it was his client who had custody of the infant while Leibrock was ordered by the court to stay away from the child but had not.
“He was being monitored by probation and the family court and was doing very well,” Tuohy said of Wilkens Adonis.
Attorney Ian Fitzgerald, of Central Islip, declined to comment on the case after handling the arraignment of Leibrock, who also faces charges for violating the orders of protection for Joseph Adonis and an 11-year-old child who was also in the Dolphin Lane home at the time of the toddler's death.
Joseph Adonis appears in an undated photograph. Credit: Suffolk County District Attorney
Someone from inside the home called 911 at about 8 a.m. on Jan. 3 and police found the child unresponsive, prosecutors said. Tierney declined to say if anyone else was living in the home with the family. The toddler was taken via ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Wilkens Adonis had prior convictions for felony and misdemeanor drug possession and attempted assault dating back to 2009, prosecutors said. He served more than a year in jail for his previous convictions.
In total, the couple is facing 28 charges in the superseding indictment, including a top charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a Class B felony.
Tierney said he fears as adult fentanyl overdose deaths continue to rise in Suffolk County, so too will accidental overdoses of young children.
“It's a crisis,” the district attorney said.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
