A woman charged in connection with the 2016 death of her 3-year-old son received an 18-year prison sentence on Thursday after entering a guilty plea to an endangerment charge.

Ayonjaleea Phillips, 27, formerly of Elizabethton, entered a guilty plea to a charge of aggravated child endangerment in Carter County Criminal Court on Thursday afternoon. Under state law, aggravated child endangerment is a “Class A” felony.

As part of her plea agreement, Phillips received a sentence of 18 years. Under Tennessee state sentencing law, sentences received for convictions of aggravated child endangerment must be served at a minimum of 85 percent, which means Phillips would have to serve 85 percent of the 18 years before she would be considered eligible for parole.

The charges against Phillips stem from an investigation into the November 2016 death of her 3-year-old son Ja’Kari Phillips. Demetrius Covington, 30, also formerly of Elizabethton, faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the death of the child. The state alleges that the child died as a result of child abuse and neglect committed by Covington.

The investigation into the child’s death began on Nov. 18, 2016, after Phillips called 911 while taking her son to the hospital and reported he was having trouble breathing.

While en route to the hospital the child’s condition worsened and Phillips pulled over to begin performing CPR.

The child was taken to a local hospital and died on Nov. 22 as the result of his injuries, which court documents state were considered to be “non-accidental trauma and were not self-inflicted.”

According to court documents, the child suffered numerous bruises to his face, neck, torso, back, bottom, legs and foot. Court documents also state medical tests revealed the child had internal injuries, including swelling in his brain and a subdural hematoma, which is a collection of blood outside of the brain usually caused by severe head injuries.

Phillips told investigators she had left her son in Covington’s care while she was at work. According to police, she said Covington called her at work and asked her to come home, saying the child may have fallen in the bathtub.

Police said Covington had fled the area before they were able to speak with him on Nov. 18. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation placed Covington on the Most Wanted List, and a multi-state search for the suspect began. He was later captured in Ohio and returned to Carter County to face charges.

The murder charges against Covington are still pending. He is scheduled to stand trial beginning on Sept. 20.