A mother has been found guilty of killing her three-month-old daughter by violently shaking her, causing catastrophic brain injuries. Nazli Merhoca, 24, was convicted of manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, after being acquitted of the more serious charge of murder.
The baby, Kaylani Kalanzi, was admitted to hospital on 8 July 2024 with a head injury. She had also suffered a broken leg and ribs, and died 15 days later at Great Ormond Street Hospital. A postmortem revealed blunt force trauma, contradicting her mother's account, and medical experts concluded the injuries could only have been caused by severe shaking.
The court heard that Kaylani had been placed on a child protection plan and was known to social services before birth. Her parents, Merhoca and Herbert Kalani, were described as “selfish and irresponsible” for prioritising their abusive relationship over their baby’s needs. Kalani was acquitted of causing or allowing Kaylani’s death after being cleared of murder on the judge’s directions.
Messages recovered from WhatsApp and Snapchat showed the volatile relationship between the couple. In one exchange, Merhoca accused Kalani of hurting their daughter, saying: “You hurt Kaylani eye. Wtf I’m reporting this. You gave her a black eye. And blood.” A Snapchat video taken in the early hours showed Kaylani lying on a cushion with a visible eye injury.
When paramedics arrived on the night of the attack, Merhoca failed to inform them that she had shaken the baby. Staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital noted she became upset when questioned and claimed she was being blamed because of her “race and gender”. She was remanded into custody to be sentenced on 15 December.
Detective Inspector John Marriott, who led the investigation, said: “Merhoca carried out a horrific assault on her own child. To add insult, she then spun a web of lies to the emergency services in order to cover up her responsibility.” He added that the investigation team’s work was “particularly harrowing and complex”.
