Woman Gets 16 Years In Prison For Killing Niece
BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — A woman accused of killing her 3-year-old niece by stomping on her abdomen has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The Adams County District Attorney's Office says 28-year-old Irene Louise Walker was sentenced Friday for the Sept. 17, 2012, death of Jersey Ruiz. Walker pleaded guilty in July to negligent child abuse resulting in death.
Prosecutors say Walker's daughter told police she saw her mother stomping on Jersey's stomach, and medical experts compared the trauma the girl suffered to that typically seen in a high-speed car crash. Jersey died of blunt force trauma that severed the blood supply to her intestines.
Walker cared for Jersey and four other children while Jersey's mother worked two jobs.
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