A New Mexico mother has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for causing the death of her 5-year-old daughter.
Jessica Barron admitted in court Friday that she savagely beat the girl on Father's Day 2010. The child's injuries were fatal.
The 30-year-old mother said she was sorry for what happened and she was ready for her punishment.
Barron's attorney claims his client was on methamphetamine and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the beating.
Barron had been set to stand trial Dec. 2. Her sentence resulted from a plea agreement with prosecutors.
As part of the agreement, prosecutors dropped two other child abuse charges against Barron. They stemmed from allegations that she burned her older, disabled son with a cigarette.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
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