North Texas aunt gets two life sentences for smothering 9-year-old niece in 2019 Mansfield killing, prosecutors say

A Tarrant County jury has sentenced a woman to two life terms – one without parole – for smothering her 9-year-old niece at a 2019 family gathering in Mansfield, prosecutors said.

Mercia Sneed, 47, received the sentence after jurors found her guilty of capital murder and injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.

The family had gathered on July 27, 2019, and Sneed was staying at her brother's new home on Eagle Drive in Mansfield, joining others to help unpack and mark the occasion.

Prosecutors say Sneed used a blue-and-white pillow to smother Melodi, her niece, while others slept. Her 13-year-old son, whom she told to leave the room, later told police he saw her suffocating the child in the home's game room, where her niece had fallen asleep on a couch.

Authorities say the pillow kept the child's attempts to scream from being heard.

"She fought. She screamed. She tried to stay alive," Assistant District Attorney Victoria Lydahl told jurors. "But she was only nine."

After lifting the pillow and wiping her niece's face, Sneed took the pillow from the house.

"It's extremely cruel and criminal, and there's only one person to blame," Assistant District Attorney Charlie Boulware said.

CBS News Texas will provide updates should additional information become available.