The mother and aunt of a baby girl from Colorado Springs are accused of taping the child’s wrists, ankles, eyes and mouth with tape and then leaving her in a running shower. They are charged with attempted murder, and their trial is set to proceed.
The 19-year-old mother and 50-year-old aunt were in court last Friday for the preliminary hearing. It was there decided that enough evidence is available to proceed with a trial. In addition to the attempted first degree murder charge and child abuse, the mother has also been charged with two counts of crime of violence, each of which carry a sentence of up to 48 years in prison. A New York Criminal Attorney says that if found guilty, the young mother could spend the rest of her life in jail.
The 20-month-old victim is still in the hospital. She suffered brain damage from the abuse.
Police report that officers were called to the 2400 block of Farragut Avenue in Colorado Springs. They were told that a 20-month-old child was not breathing. When paramedics arrived on the scene, the little girl was unconscious. She was immediately taken to Memorial Hospital with serious bodily injuries.
Police revealed that further investigation into the incident uncovered that the injuries were not accidental. This led officers to arrest the victim’s mother and the other woman in the home.
A N York Criminal Attorney says that the arrest affidavit reported that when police arrived, the little girl was unconscious and not breathing and had black tape marks on her wrists, ankles, eyes and mouth. She was pronounced dead at 3:10 p.m., but just after 4 p.m., the investigating detectives were told the child was breathing again. Police in The Bronx and New York City are on call for these crimes.
According to the affidavit, the child’s mother told police that she had seen her aunt in the bathroom with her daughter at some point earlier in the day. Apparently, the toddler was lying in the shower, bound by tape, and being sprayed by water as a disciplinary action. The mother admitted that she did absolutely nothing to stop her aunt. She then went into a bedroom and fell asleep. The affidavit continues on, saying the aunt allegedly left the toddler in the bathroom with water running on her and then left the room and fell asleep.
A 7-year-old boy, of the same household, told the police that he was the one who later found the little girl in the bathroom. He ran to get help from the adult women. They called 911 as they tried to revive the child. The court document also reports that the 7-year-old boy said the aunt was mad at the little girl for knocking over her drink, and she had spanked her on the behind with a belt before bringing her into the shower.
The women are due back in court at the end of May.
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