Gambling Mom Sentenced After Leaving Daughters to Die in Hot Car While She Played Poker at Internet Casino

July 27, 2024 Sharon Banks

A North Carolina mother will spend years in prison for the tragic deaths of her two young daughters, who died after being left in a hot car while she gambled at an internet casino playing poker.

Cops identified the mother of the two beautiful daughters as a 29-year-old Launice Shanique Battle. Her father reportedly said that it was his understanding the girls were left in a hot car.

On August 27, 2022, Raleigh Police responded to the Duke Raleigh Hospital regarding the suspicious deaths of Amora and Trinity. The girls had been left in a hot car for over six hours, leading to fatal hyperthermia. The car was parked behind a gambling establishment from approximately 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in 95-degree Fahrenheit temperature.

An autopsy confirmed hyperthermia as the cause of death, with the girls’ bodies showing signs of mild decomposition. Battle found them unresponsive and drove them to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Wake County Superior Court Judge Rebecca W. Holt sentenced Launice Shanique Battle to 94 to 125 months in a state correctional facility for the 2022 deaths of 3-year-old Amora Milbourne and 2-year-old Trinity Milbourne. Battle agreed to plead guilty to one count of second-degree murder, reducing her charges from two counts of felony murder and avoiding a potential 80-year sentence.

Battle was credited with 667 days already served. The court noted her acceptance of responsibility as a mitigating factor in the sentencing.

Battle’s cousin, Keisha Harris, defended her, calling her a caring and loving mother who made a “careless mistake.” However, records from the Wake County Department of Health and Human Services reportedly revealed that Child Protective Services had investigated Battle three times between 2019 and 2022, with the latest investigation occurring less than two months before the girls’ deaths.