Minnesota dad is jailed for just five years for starving daughter, 7, until she died of hunger on Christmas Day

A Minnesota father received only five years in prison for starving his seven-year-old daughter to death.

Jewel Sky Fineday died on Dec. 25, 2022, on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, “not just thin, but skeletal,” as a result of “a lack of care” from her father Julius Fineday Sr., 42, the US Attorney General’s Office.

Julius was sentenced in a U.S. District Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to child abuse in connection with the tragic death of his young daughter.

The girl’s grandmother and Julius’ mother, Sharon Marie Rosebar, 63, was convicted on the same charges on April 30. Her sentence has not yet been determined.

During the father’s sentencing, Judge Patrick Schiltz clarified that Jewel did not starve because there was a lack of food in the household, but because Julius neglected his child in “almost every way imaginable.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the little girl was “not only thin, but skeletal” because of “a lack of care” from her father. He was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday

Court documents show the seven-year-old died from a combination of malnutrition and a group A streptococcus (GAS) infection as a result of the neglect.

GAS is a contagious infection that often occurs in the throat and skin. While some cases are mild, others can cause life-threatening symptoms without treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Jewel also had severe head lice, was banned from school and had not been to a doctor in three years, aside from COVID vaccinations paid for with financial incentives, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

In a court proceeding prior to the father’s sentencing, defense attorney Robert Richman argued that his client should receive only one year in prison for his actions, the Star tribune.

Richman said the little girl “died as a result of poverty, neglect and a family overwhelmed by the burden of caring for 10 minor children. … If Indian Family and Children Services had intervened sooner, [she] would still be alive,’ the magazine reported.

The lawyer added that the girl’s home was “no longer” in 2021 [sic] fit for human habitation. … The house had no running water, heat, or indoor plumbing. … The walls had open holes where insulation was hanging out, and the house was infested with mice and cockroaches.’

During the father’s sentencing, Judge Patrick Schiltz (pictured) clarified that Jewel did not starve because there was a lack of food in the household, but because Julius neglected his child in “almost every way imaginable.”

He said Julius acknowledged what he did to Jewel and that he “tried to care for her and her siblings,” but that he “failed to realize she was dangerously malnourished.”

Jewel’s original name was Miikawaddizimikinaakikezens, which means “Beautiful Turtle Girl,” according to her obituary.

She loved playing hide and seek and tag with her cousins, brothers and sisters, dancing and watching TikTok videos on her father’s phone.

“Jewel always worried about her father and made sure he was happy,” the obituary reads.

A two-day vigil for the girl was held from January 4-5, 2023 at the Ponemah Boys and Girls Club in Ponemah.

Schiltz said he hopes his sentencing will help other parents understand that “neglecting or abusing a child not only has negative consequences for the child, but also for the adult responsible.”

Schiltz added that he hopes parents will consider Julius’ plight and decide to “pick up the phone” and ask for help caring for their children.

DeShaun Matinez was typically locked in a closet in his parents’ home for 16 hours at a time and weighed just 18 pounds when his body was found in March 2020

After his prison sentence, Julius will have to remain under supervision for two years for child neglect.

Another Arizona father was sentenced to life in prison after starving his six-year-old son to death in 2020.

Anthony Jose Martinez, 28, was sentenced June 28 in Coconino County Superior Court, where his attorney read an apology statement he wrote himself.

Martinez apologized to the deceased child’s three other siblings, two of whom had not suffered the same physical abuse but had suffered long-term damage, officials said.

The deceased child, DeShaun Matinez, was typically locked in a closet in the family’s home for 16 hours at a time, a crime for which the children’s mother was also sentenced to life in prison around this time last year.