As a Baton Rouge mother accused of beating her 2-year-old daughter to death moves toward a possible plea deal, her live-in boyfriend who was convicted of stuffing the toddler’s body into a suitcase and disposing of her remains is trying to convince a judge to grant him a new trial.
Those proceedings played out this week inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse.
Lanaya Brittany Cardwell appeared before District Judge Fred Crifasi for a motions hearing Tuesday. Cardwell, 28, was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder in the September 2021 killing of her daughter, Neveah Allen. If convicted, Cardwell faces a mandatory life sentence…