Man nets 6 years in child’s death

A Niland man was sentenced to six years in prison Tuesday after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in connection to the death of a 7-yearold Ohio girl who had drowned in the Coachella Canal on July 28.

Heinrich Boykins had pleaded no contest to one count of voluntary manslaughter, one count of willful harm/injury to child and two counts of driving under the influence on April 26 at the county Superior Court in El Centro.

County Superior Court Judge Poli Flores had indicated at Boykin’s April 26 court appearance that Boykin’s plea would likely result in a six-year prison sentence, which Boykins had accepted, said county Deputy District Attorney Miriam Shoval.

Boykins had reportedly taken several of his step-grandchildren to swim in the canal, where Annie Sweet Pea Palmer, of Columbus, Ohio, was ultimately swept away by the current. Her body was not recovered until July 30, in Riverside County, several miles from where she was last seen.

The six-year sentence represents the doubling of a low-term three-year sentence, as a result of a prior serious felony conviction, Shoval stated in an email.

The prosecution had argued that Boykins should have been given a 12-year sentence (the doubling of a mid-term, six-year sentence for his prior strike conviction) based on the egregious facts of this case, Shoval said.

Boykins was reportedly drunk with a 0.22 blood alcohol level at the time of the incident, had ignored multiple posted warning signs in the immediate area, had ignored a passerby’s warning that the canal’s current might be too strong for the grandchildren and ignored the fact that Annie nor her sister knew how to swim, Shoval stated.

The prosecution had also argued that an additional one-year sentence should have been given to Boykins on top of his six-year sentence as a result of his DUI charge, which was a separate action, Shoval said.

“Finally, I also argued that the defendant has not accepted responsibility for his actions,” Shoval stated. “Mr. Boykins still denies any wrongdoing, despite his statements during the 911 call and his initial interview both indicating that he took the girls there to swim to cool off.”

At sentencing, Annie’s mother, who lives in Ohio, gave a victim impact statement via live video feed. She spoke about how her daughter’s death has affected her family, particularly Annie’s sister Jessica Palmer, who was also there during the incident, Shoval stated.

During his sentencing appearance, Boykins gave a statement claiming he only took the girls to the canal to look at the fish, Shoval said.