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Texas mom gets 99 years for gluing toddler to wall, beating her
[Updated at 4:22 p.m. ET] A Texas mother who super-glued her 2-year-old daughter's hands to a wall and beat her over potty training problems was sentenced Friday morning to 99 years in prison, a Dallas County felony records department district clerk said.
Elizabeth Escalona, 23, will be eligible to ask for parole in 30 years. She pleaded guilty in July to a charge of first-degree injury to a child, a crime punishable by anywhere between probation and life in prison.
"This mom was pure evil, and her children are better off without her," prosecutor Eren Price said after a judge delivered Friday's sentence. "Her five kids now have a chance to lead a productive life."
Escalona’s attorney said that the sentence was excessive and that an appeal would be filed, CNN affiliate KTVT reported.
Escalona's daughter Jocelyn Cedillo was less than two months shy of her 3rd birthday in September 2011 when Escalona used a powerful adhesive to glue her hands to a wall and beat her because of potty training troubles, authorities said. Three other children belonging to Escalona, who was pregnant at the time, witnessed the abuse, according to Dallas County district attorney's office spokeswoman Debbie Denmon.
The child urinated on herself during the ordeal, during which she was hit in head and kicked in the groin, among other forms of abuse, Denmon said.
Oefelia Escalona, the defendant's mother, testified during her daughter's sentencing hearing this week that she found the girl and took her to a hospital. Once Jocelyn was there, medical authorities noticed severe bruises to her face and head, as well as a severe brain injury that led to her temporarily being in a coma.
At this week's sentencing hearing, prosecutors showed pictures of Jocelyn's hands and bruised body and forehead.
"The entire picture was very shocking," said Dr. Amy Barton, then a child abuse pediatrician at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, choking back tears on the stand on Monday. "I see a lot of children, and this was one of the most shocking cases that I have seen."
Escalona asked for leniency during her sentencing hearing this week, saying she behaved like a monster but deserved a second chance, KTVT reported. Her mother asked the judge to sentence Elizabeth to probation, according to KTVT.
Price initially offered a plea bargain of 45 years in prison, but Escalona turned it down, the district attorney's office said.
Price said that the judge, after learning more about Escalona during the hearing, was justified in sentencing her to more time.
"Elizabeth Escalona wasn't sorry for what she did to 2-year-old Jocelyn. Elizabeth Escalona felt sorry for herself," Price said. "Those tears on the stand were for her and not for the toddler she tortured."
An attempt to reach Escalona's attorney for comment Friday was not immediately successful.
Before this incident, Escalona had been investigated by Texas Child Protective Services but never arrested or charged, Denmon said.
The child welfare agency put all of her children in foster care after Jocelyn was taken to the hospital. All five of them, including Jocelyn, are now in the custody of their grandmother, Oefelia Escalona.
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duhhhhh..I watch FoxNews, so this mindless female MUST Be a Liberal!!
It's "Faux News" and is necessary to get that sarcasm across, professor.
"Breeder get 99 years for gluing toddler to wall." This animal is not a mom.
Ten years and take her children away. But 99 years? What Taliban controlled country is this? Oh yeah...Texas.
It was attempted murder. You think she should get her kids back when she got out 10 years later with your sentencing? I'm so happy you are not in any kind of authoritative position.
Please do not breed.
In ten years, she'll still be of child-bearing age. No way. Someone like that needs to at least be put away until they can no longer have children. 99 years sounds good to me.
Nothing says "Winner" quite like a Neck Tattoo.
brutal.
99 years is excessive considering many street crime murderers get 8-10. However, forced sterilization would not be a bad idea in addition to taking her children away, a 5 year sentence, and a prohibition from ever adopting or caring for children for the rest of her life.
I question the wisdom in giving the children to the maternal grandmother who was the responsible person for raising this evil mother in the first place. She messed up the first time around and now she has five new fragile minds to warp... Where is the logic?
Look, what this woman did to her kids is NOT because of how she was raised and even IF she was abused, she had a CHOICE to abuse her children or not. I come from an abusive home and I don't abuse my children. Her mother is NOT the cause of what happened to her grandchildren and for you to vilify the woman without even knowing her is nothing short of ignorance.
99 years for this, and here in canada cardiologist guy turcotte stabs his two kids to death and 3 years later is back into society...We need a texas criminal system over here.
Typical Idiotcy of American Courts – they do more damage than the alleged crime.
This kid will now grow up without a mother?? Meanwhile Proscutors and Judge will make their paychecks and points for retirement benefits. They are the greater criminal. This mother, like many young parents today, needs consuling and parenting classes, NOT prison. Typiical also – that this stupidity takes place in Texas.
If the kid goes into US Welfare system she could 'disappear' ( see TRACE-FORMATION OF AMERICA by Cathy O'Brien and Mark Philips. To be used in criminal way.
The prosecutors and judge are worse than the mother who systematically beat her child into a coma. Are you nuts? 99 years seems a little silly, but permanently losing contact with her kids is certainly appropriate. Giving them to grandma seems nuts too.
The "mother" deserves a bullet in back of her head and her body should be dumped in an unmarked grave.
She didn't have a mother to begin with.
If the choice is a mother who beats her nearly to death and no mother at all ... the child is better off without her. I only hope that the grandmother is not actually to blame for her daughter's problems (isn't an abuser as well). I suspect these children will now be watched with eagles' eyes and every bruise or injury scrutinized.
I just don't get it. 99 years seems horrendous. But so many here seem to think it is just. Wasn't she a first time offender? Using the same logic I would figure then that nearly any assault charge (against children at least) could get a half a lifetime or more. All sorts of worse crimes draw lots less time. Reminds me of the lady in Florida who drew 20 years for firing a gun into the wall of her house. Do they need to fill up the prisons?
Excessive punishment and misuse of power and a burden on tax payers!
She is not or murderer or trying to kill someone!
Career criminals usually get lot less than that, may be they keep the Justice industry busy!
Ok; you are next; step right up. We will send you to city jail; have someone glue you to a wall and beat you until you are unconscious. The child was less than 3 years old and she is in a coma due to the beating. What child deserves that ? Perhaps child services should investigate your parenting while they are at it.
I say take 50 years off of that sentence as long as she is willing to take the same punishment she dealt out..
Personally, I think this lady could have had a very productive career as a Junion High School teacher.
Although she was given 99 years; she will be eligible for parole in 30 years and for certain the sentence will be repealed. What would you suggest is a "reasonable" sentence for someone who was already being investigated for child abuse, and then glued her daughter to a wall and beat her so badly as to put her in a coma ? Pick any number of years just so long as it allows the kids to turn 18 years old without this nut case in their lives. Assuming the daughter actually survives.
Execution!!!!!
I agree with Eva, Execution!
I would say... beaten to the brink of death, put back together, then beaten again. Each day for 3 years. Then give her say... the rest of her life to think about what she did in a tiny cell with no human contact. Maybe then this... thing will be able to understand why what she did was wrong. Or maybe not. But at least she won't be around another human who can't protect themselves.
People like that do not change. If someone really is remorseful they don't hide from the consequences of their actions. People who are remorseful accept those consequences no matter how bad for themselves as the start of their penance for what they did. If that thing was really remorseful she wouldn't appeal or even have fought the charges – simply admitted to what she did and accepted the courts judgement. There is not a shred of doubt about her guilt and no, as in absolutely no, justification for what she did. Mental illness? Then she should be put down as a danger to the public at large. Bad upbringing? There are other people who have had far worse and they don't do this. Stoned? Same as the first one – euthanize her for being stupid and a danger to the public.
Of course I'm sure the bleeding hearts will say it's "not her fault!" and the religious nuts will scream about taking children from their mother being worse. Personally I prefer what proper canine owners do. If a mother is that bad you take her kids away forever and "fix" her so she can't have more no matter what it wants. If she is still that aggressive to others without any provocation... always the blue juice.
Education and contraception matter, people. A 23 year old uneducated, likely gang-affiliated baby factory is not going to make a great mother, period. This never should have happened.