Woman Who Murdered Grandson Gets 57 Years In Prison

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A Haltom City woman will spend the next 57 years and six months behind bars for the death of her grandson. Jurors in Tarrant County began deliberating the fate of Patricia Flores behind closed doors on Wednesday, and handed down the sentence on Thursday afternoon.

Flores walked into court Thursday morning trying to shield her face behind her 16-year-old daughter. At that time, she faced a term of between five years and life in prison for the scalding death of her 2-year-old grandson, Lyfe Flores.

The toddler was rushed to the hospital more than a year ago with burns on 20 percent of his body. A doctor later said that the injuries were from hot water.

Flores told investigators that she thought that she could treat the boy herself, since she was a certified nursing assistant. It was not until six days after the scalding that she called 911.

The child was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth and then transferred to the burn center at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, but he died from his injuries. It was not long after that when Flores went on the run.

After days of searching, police finally found her in Frio County, about 60 miles south of San Antonio.

During the beginning of the punishment of the trial, which began Tuesday, Parkland Burn Center's Dr. Brett Arnoldo testified that, had the toddler been treated immediately after the injury, there was a 99 percent chance that he would have survived.

Jurors had to reach a unanimous decision on the sentence.