Mom Who Tried To Kill Autistic Daughter Gets 10-22 Years

By JOHN FLESHER
Associated Press

BEULAH, Mich. (AP) - A judge has sentenced a Michigan woman to 10 to 22 years in prison in what she described as a failed attempt to kill herself and her autistic daughter.

Kelli Stapleton pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse last month. She admitted driving her teenage daughter Isabelle to an isolated spot in September 2013, giving her a sleep-inducing drug and placing two charcoal-burning grills inside their van. Both survived but Isabelle sustained brain damage.

The 46-year-old mother was sentenced Wednesday.

Stapleton was an advocate for autism awareness whose blog described the family's struggle to find and afford proper care for Isabelle, who was prone to violent outbursts.

During a three-day sentencing hearing, friends and relatives said Stapleton was a loving but broken mother. Other family members described her as selfish.

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