Cary mom pleads guilty to second-degree murder in daughters' hot car deaths

A Cary woman has pleaded guilty in the deaths of her two toddlers after leaving them in a hot car while she gambled.

On June 25, 2024, Launice Battle plead guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in the death of her two toddlers after she left them in the car at Duke Raleigh Hospital.

Battle could face more than 10 years in prison for the crimes.

According to the autopsy report, 2-year-old Trinity and 3-year-old AmoraMilbourne died of hyperthermia while Battle was gambling at a sweepstakes parlor in August 2022.

The report also said there was a 30 to 45 minute gap between when Battle left the sweepstakes parlor and took the girls to the hospital.

In August 2022, Battle’s cousins called the girls' deaths a "careless mistake."

"She was always there. She's a caring and loving mother to her kids at the end of the day. She's not a cold-blooded murderer. She's not a killer," said Battle's cousin Keisha Harris.

Harris said her family is devastated and can't understand what led up to the deaths of the two toddlers.

"She was just a young girl, may have been experiencing depression or whatever the case may be," said Harris. "She just made a bad decision. At the end of the day, she was a good mother to those girls."

Another cousin, Lisacious Williams, said the family was at a loss for words.

"We love Launice no matter what, and we will support her no matter what. This was a careless mistake," Williams said in a message.

Battle was arrested in 2022 at Duke Raleigh Hospital on Wake Forest Road. Birth records show Battle also has a son, Haven Gabriel, born in August 2016. Haven was believed to be in the care of his father.

Battle’s Cary neighbors knew her as a single mom, and Cary police said they had no record of calls for child abuse or neglect to her address.