FAYETTE COUNTY, WV — One of the three people convicted of child neglect resulting in the death of Raylee Browning has asked to withdraw her motion for a reduction of sentence, claiming that a social media post by the Fayette County prosecuting attorney made her afraid for the safety of her family and others around her.
Sherie Titchenell had initially filed a motion asking to have her prison sentence changed to supervised probation. She is serving a 3 to 15 year sentence after being found guilty of child neglect resulting in death in connection with the death of 8-year-old Raylee Browning.
Browning died on Dec. 26, 2018, from sepsis caused by pneumonia. In 2022, a jury convicted her father, Marty Browning Jr., his girlfriend at the time, Julie Titchenell Browning, and Julie’s sister, Sherie, of child neglect resulting in death.
Browning’s mother, Janice Wriston, has opposed any change to Titchenell’s sentence.
“If anything, it should be increased after all the torture and torment that they put my daughter through. They should stay behind bars. What kind of community or state or family would feel safe with these individuals out there?” Wriston said.
Titchenell appeared by video at a hearing last week, but Judge Tom Fast ordered her brought to the courtroom for an in-person hearing this week.
That all changed Monday, when her counsel, Evan Dove, filed a letter stating that Titchenell wanted to withdraw the motion.
Dove said that Titchenell feared for the lives of those associated with her after Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony Ciliberti made social media posts drawing attention to her motion.
Ciliberti and the rest of the Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office have been disqualified from the hearing because his wife testified as a state’s witness at trial. The Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is handling the case as a special prosecutor.
Ciliberti’s post encouraged people to attend last week’s hearing, saying, “The public needs to demonstrate we take cases involving the death of a child seriously.”
Dove attached messages Titchenell had sent him to the letter. In those messages, she stated that while she knows she deserved to go to prison, the case was turning into a “political fight against homeschool.”
She also said that lies are being told about her to “entice a mob.”
In his letter, Dove said he tried to reassure Titchenell that she would be safe and said that the situation “creates a disturbing effect and poses significant risks for the miscarriage of the legal system.”
He also said that, in his professional opinion, the social media posts violated the Rules of Professional Conduct and would materially prejudice the hearings.
The full letter and messages are available at the bottom of this article. Wriston said she fully supports Ciliberti and his efforts to raise awareness.
“I 100% back up Anthony Ciliberti. Everything that he posts, he’s speaking as a prosecutor. It’s his county, and he should have that voice and opinion. I see nothing wrong with the post that Anthony made. If anything, he’s helping give Raylee a voice,” Wriston said.
In Monday’s status hearing, Fast gave Titchenell and her counsel 10 days to decide whether to withdraw the motion. He also said that he would decide all matters in his courtroom fairly and impartially, regardless of public influence.
“I want the public to come, and each individual represents their self whenever they come in here. Each individual’s face says this is unacceptable. Child abuse is not okay. We’re not going to allow it,” Wriston said.
