SAN JOSE, Calif. — Nina Fathizadeh, 43, pleaded guilty Monday to 10 felony counts of child endangerment in connection with the 2023 deaths of two toddlers and the injury of a third at her San Jose home daycare, Happy Happy Daycare, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and reporting from the Bay Area News Group.
Fathizadeh’s plea, entered on February 23, 2026, comes as the trial for her mother and co-defendant, Shahin Gheblehshenas, 66, continues. The two women were charged following the October 2, 2023, incident in which 16-month-traditional Lilian Hanan of San Jose and 18-month-old Payton Cobb of Hollister drowned in an unsupervised backyard pool. A third child was also rescued from the pool and survived, according to court documents and reports from NBC Bay Area.
The guilty plea includes three counts related directly to the deaths of Hanan and Cobb, and seven additional counts stemming from a separate incident where Fathizadeh allegedly transported seven children in a vehicle without proper child safety restraints, as detailed in reporting from the East Bay Times.
A preliminary hearing last August determined there was sufficient evidence to proceed to trial against both women, with prosecutors alleging negligence in failing to secure the pool area. Specifically, allegations centered on Fathizadeh’s failure to ensure the pool’s safety gate was closed before allowing children access to the backyard, according to the East Bay Times report.
The Hanan family, who had undergone a lengthy and challenging journey to parenthood, including 15 years of attempts through various medical interventions and adoption, described their daughter Lily Jade as a source of immense joy, according to a November 2023 report from NBC Bay Area. Lily Jade had recently undergone surgery to correct a cleft lip, and palate.
Gheblehshenas’s trial is ongoing. The Fleetwood Drive residence served as the location for Happy Happy Daycare. The daycare has been permanently shut down following the tragedy, as reported by ABC7 News.
Fathizadeh’s sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
