An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole, reports the Associated Press. Kristel Candelario, 32, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated murder and child endangerment as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County.
Authorities said Candelario left her toddler Jailyn at home when she vacationed to Detroit and Puerto Rico in June 2023, and found her "not breathing" in the playpen when Candelario came back. An autopsy determined that her daughter died of severe dehydration and starvation. "Just as you didn’t let Jailyn out of her confinement, so too you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom,” County Common Pleas Court Judge Brendan Sheehan said. “The only difference will be, the prison will at least feed you and give you liquid that you denied her.” Candelario, who has depression, said she has prayed for forgiveness and is "extremely hurt about everything that happened."
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