An Ohio woman who killed her toddler while on vacation will spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Brendan Sheehan handed Kristel Candelario, 32, a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the emaciating death of her 16-month-old daughter, Jailyn. Candelario pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder and one count of endangering a minor.
"Just as you didn't let Jailyn out of her confinement until she died, so too you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom. The only difference is that prison will at least feed you," said Sheehan, according to ABC 7.
On June 16, 2023, Candelario, who had just returned home after a ten-day vacation at a beach in Puerto Rico with a male friend, called 911. Officers responded to the distress call after reports of an unresponsive toddler. Upon arrival, first responders immediately determined the child was deceased. Despite efforts by the defendant to change Jailyn’s clothes, authorities discovered the child had been lying on a mattress covered in urine and feces.
Soon, authorities discovered the toddler was emaciated with sunken eyes and found fecal matter in her mouth and fingernails. An autopsy report by the medical examiner showed that Jailyn died due to excessive dehydration and malnutrition as a consequence of pediatric negligence.
Later, investigators retrieved a Ring doorbell camera video footage from the neighbor, which captured the toddler’s cry for more than two days before she went silent and nobody to help.
The defendant’s family asked the judge for leniency, claiming Candelario has a history of mental issues and their daughter had stopped taking her medications.
"There’s so much pain that I have in regards to the loss of my baby, and every day I ask forgiveness from God and from my daughter, Jailyn. I’m extremely hurt about everything that happened. I am not trying to justify my actions, but nobody knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through, said Candelario to the judge, reported USA Today.
The judge disagreed!
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