Father, stepmother plead guilty in child abuse case

The father and stepmother of a three-year-old Alabama girl have pleaded guilty to charges related to child abuse and murder in 2021. 

Etowah District Attorney Jody Willoughby confirmed that Haley Dee Metz, 33, the child’s stepmother, entered a blind guilty plea to aggravated child abuse. The plea, made without a predetermined sentencing agreement, leaves Metz’s punishment to be decided by a judge in November.

This development follows the guilty plea of the child’s father, Nikolas Joseph DiMaso, 25, to charges of capital murder and conspiracy to commit child abuse. DiMaso will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole, Willoughby said.

The victim, Aydah DiMaso, was found dead in her father’s bathtub in October 2021 after family members requested a welfare check. Police reports indicate the child’s body showed more than 50 signs of trauma, including fresh and recent bruising.

According to local media reports, DiMaso admitted to severe physical abuse, including “slamming” the girl on the ground and “kicking her in the stomach.” The extent of the injuries revealed a pattern of sustained abuse.

Aydah’s family called her murder “unthinkable” and created a GoFundMe account to cover funeral costs. 

“Aydah was a sweet soul with an infectious giggle, loved deeply by her Grandparents who had been fighting for custody of her,” the fundraiser said. “The system let her down, and so sadly, this tragedy was utterly preventable.”

In the post, the family also claimed that Aydah’s grandparents had been attempting to gain custody of the child before her death, suggesting that the tragedy might have been preventable with proper intervention. The Alabama Department of Human Resources has declined to comment on the case or the lawsuit.

The victim’s family has filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Human Resources, alleging that systemic failures led to Aydah’s death.

Tommy James, the family’s attorney, wrote in a social media post, “This case represents an egregious failure of the system that is supposed to protect our most vulnerable children. Aydah’s death could and should have been prevented.”

“What this child suffered from is just horrific,” James told WBRC last year. “You can’t even imagine.”