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Dominique Moore, 46, pleaded guilty to six counts of child neglect of his six minor children and will face 30 years in prison when he is sentenced in February 2025.
Both Moore and his wife, Cynthia Moore, were arrested in May 2023 and initially indicted on charges that included second-degree depraved-heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, and child neglect following an investigation into the death of their 17-year-old child.
An investigation was launched at the Moore family home regarding abhorrent living conditions involving a family of 10, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.
In May 2022, officers from the 6th District were called to the 9400 block of Quill Place in Montgomery Village to investigate a "working code in progress," officials said.
At the time, the mother stated that her 17-year-old daughter had Multiple Sclerosis and diabetes, and had recently been diagnosed with COVID. Cynthia Moore also stated that the girl was having trouble breathing and had collapsed.
She further advised responding officers that the teen had not seen a doctor in two years.
Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel were then called to the scene, where the victim was pronounced dead, though the investigation into the parents was only beginning.
The family had been reportedly living in squalor, according to police, and due to the unsanitary conditions, six children between the ages of 5 and 15 were placed in the care of Child Protective Services.
Two other children over the age of 18 were also living in the house at the time the teen was pronounced dead.
The body of the 17-year-old girl was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy, and the manner of death was ultimately determined to be a homicide.
Cynthia Moore was found guilty by a judge earlier this year to the same six child neglect charges. She's scheduled to be sentenced in January 2025.
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