ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (TCN) — A New Mexico mother has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars after pleading no contest to reckless child abuse resulting in death.
On May 3, 2022, Doraelia Espinoza, then 32, brought her unresponsive 16-year-old daughter to the hospital, KRQE reported at the time. Staff determined the child had been dead for some time.
An investigation found the girl was blind and suffered from seizures. At the time of her death, she was malnourished and weighed 40 pounds, the size of a young child. She had maggots and a severe rash on her body, and the bedroom in her home was full of feces, blood, and flies.
A statement from the Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said the teen had no fat tissue or muscle, had scrapes around her vaginal area, and maggots crawling out of her body.
When the girl was 12 in 2019, Espinoza had been charged with cruelty to children and deprivation of necessary food, clothing, and shelter, according to KRQE. Responding officers found a similar scene and four siblings ranging in age from 9 months to 12 years. Espinoza allegedly did not show up for court and the warrant for her arrest was not served until her daughter’s death in 2022, according to KRQE.
KRQE reports Espinoza’s defense asked for a sentence of 12 years and the prosecution asked for the maximum, 18 years. Judge Bruce Fox sentenced her to 15 years.
Savannah Brandenburg-Koch, Bernalillo County deputy district attorney, said “This case is not a tragic accident, a lapse in judgment, a parent that is frustrated, this case is about prolonged abuse,” KRQE reports.
A translator speaking for Espinoza said in court, “I never wanted this. I want to say that I love my children with my whole heart from the oldest to the youngest. I’m not a bad person, I’m just a hardworking mother who does everything for her children.”
KKOB reports that sentencing is still underway.
