Elizabeth Escalona, 23,
was in a Dallas County, Texas, court Monday as witnesses -- including
her mother and the pediatrician who cared for the toddler -- testified
in the first day of her sentencing hearing, while prosecutors showed
pictures of the little girl's hands and bruised body and forehead.
"The entire picture was
very shocking," said Dr. Amy Barton, then a child abuse pediatrician at
Children's Medical Center of Dallas, choking back tears on the stand. "I
see a lot of children, and this was one of the most shocking cases that
I have seen."
Jocelyn Cedillo was less
than two months shy of her third birthday in September 2011 when
Escalona, her mother, used a powerful adhesive to glue her hands to a
wall and beat her.
Three other children of
Escalona, who was pregnant at the time, witnessed the abuse, according
to Dallas County district attorney's office spokeswoman Debbie Denmon.
The child urinated on
herself during the ordeal, during which she was hit in head and kicked
in the groin, among other forms of abuse, said Denmon.
Oefelia Escalona, the defendant's mother, testified Monday that she found the girl and took her to the hospital.
"I saw Jocelyn laying in
the bed. She was facing the wall and ...," the 42-year-old woman said,
before she started crying and turned away.
It wasn't clear exactly
how long young Jocelyn was glued to the wall before she was brought to
the Dallas hospital. Once there, medical authorities noticed severe
bruises to her face and head, as well as a severe brain injury that led
to her temporarily being in a coma.
Escalona pleaded guilty
on July 12 to a charge of first-degree injury to a child, a crime
punishable by anywhere between five years and life in prison.
Prosecutors are asking Escalona be incarcerated for 45 years, so she will not cause any more harm to her children, Denmon said.
"When these types of
crimes occur we have to send a message, not only to the perpetrator, but
to the citizens of Dallas County as a whole," District Attorney Craig
Watkins told CNN. "If you choose to commit these types of crimes, we
will ensure that you receive an adequate punishment."
Prior to this incident,
Escalona had been investigated by Texas Child Protective Services but
never arrested or charged, said Denmon.
The child welfare agency
put all of her children in foster care after her toddler daughter was
taken to the hospital. All five of them, including Jocelyn, are now in
the custody of their grandmother, Oefelia Escalona.
Now my people, how many years do you think she deserved?
Source-CNN
Source-CNN


Am sure she is going down for 3 to 5 years
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