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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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99 years for abuse....and rapists and actual child molesters get probation. Anybody see what is wrong? the stuff she did was messed up but 3 years in prison is enough for that.
Three years. Really. That makes me wonder what you have done to your kids. Why else would you defend her?
I see her point though. Child molesters and murderers get much less time.
2 years prison 5 years probation. I strongly believe it will be lowered. Jerry Sandusky got much less time, and I believe his was max sentence.
This is the one time I love Texas. The don't mess around. They will make sure she never touches her kids again, never reproduces. I'm glad she got this sentence–other crimes, other sentences notwithstanding. In this particular case, they made the right choice.
I would like to think that she will never get out and see her kids again but our crimminal justice system is garbage. She'll probably be assaulted several times in prison, as is common with child abusers, then transfered to a segregation unit (for her safety). Eventualy she will get out and "in best interest of the child" get them back. All of this on "good behavior." I am just speculating of course. But all thoes damn child molestors get released and a slap on the wrist, why would she get anything more? Exacution of these monsters is the ONLY way.
Speedy recovery little girl. Thank you Judge for justice.
She even deserves more than this for such a satanic act.
The crime is certainly a travesty and the mom definitely deserves to go to jail, but this 99 year sentence will be overturned in appeals and she'll get a lesser sentence. The mother in Texas who killed her 5 children by drowning them ended up getting her sentence reduced due to "insanity". I am pretty sure the same would happen with this mother. Again, I'm not saying what she deserves except for actually going to jail, but the law is partly based on precedent and the case of Andrea Yates killing her 5 children and getting a much lesser sentence would apply.
Andrea Yates had severe depression for a long time even before she murdered her children. Her husband should have gotten help for her before the tragedy happened. She was not charged with child abuse. That case seems to be very different from this.
Anyone else reminded of Louis CK's joke about Girls gone Wild? This is what happens when WOMEN go Wild.
We must be living in hell, too much injustice against kids!!!!!
What's this? Another tattooed minority in jail? This is news?
There is something psychologically wrong with this woman but the sentence is absurb. The judge should know better. Thouh not an excuse, the Zetas don't get 99 years for dealing drugs and killing people. OK, so her chiildren have been done harm, perhaps great harm, and she should not have had "throw away" children but she bred them anyway. Child and family services is not an admirable agency either – and what had its people been doing to help the children and the mother before this lunacy?
What does that tattoo on her throat say; Moms heart kids?
She is a disgusting excuse for a human being. I'd like to super glue her hands to a wall and kick her.
Really? You want to do the exact thing that she did? I think that makes you disgusting too.
She was given 99 years because she beat her 2 year old baby to a pulp without a conscience. Prison is the best place to permanently separate her uncontrollable rage from our society. I sure wouldn't want to be her next door neighbor.
If we were to base punishment on this case alone, the average child abuser who doesn't use super glue should receive at least 25 years in prison and 50 years if they choose fight the charge.
That seems reasonable...
Came to this article to see 1,000,000 comments about how this godless chick should die, needless to say i am not disappointed....
god bless america and the WWE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
15 years. Daughter will e grown.