The 34-year-old woman who left her 13-month-old boy alone in a bathtub while she played a Facebook video game got 10 years in prison, as prosecutors pursued a stiff sentence to underscore the seriousness of the crime.
https://gizmodo.com/one-year-old-boy-drowns-in-bathtub-as-mother-plays-game-5734311
Shannon Johnson, of Fort Lupton, Colo., pleaded guilty to negligently causing the death of her child, and faced four to 12 years in prison on that charge – or even potentially no jail time, just probation. But authorities went for hard time, not wanting to trivialize a crime shocking in its carelessness.
The judge who sentenced Johnson told her she was not a bad person, nor did she intend to harm her child, but she still committed a crime. “You left this little boy in a bathtub so you could entertain yourself on the computer by playing games,” the judge said as Johnson cried. “And you left that 13-month-old human being, little Joseph, incredibly, for those reasons.”
Mom Sentenced for Using Facebook as Son Drowned [AP via NPR. Image via KDVR-TV.]
