Mother who left baby to die while she got her nails done receives sentence
An Oklahoma mother has been convicted of felony child neglect after her 5-month-old daughter was left alone in a hot car and died.
37-year-old Adele Gonzales claimed she was unaware her baby was in her car while she and her teenager daughter got their nails done at a salon on August 29, 2015.
As Associated Press reports, Gonzales’ daughter was found unresponsive and “very hot” to touch, and was later pronounced dead at hospital.
Police said Gonzales first told them she had brought the baby into the salon and had only kept the infant in the car with air-conditioning for 20 minutes after arriving home.
But prosecutors said Gonzales later admitted to lying during her police interview, and that her negligent actions led to the death of her baby.
In court, defense attorney Perry Hudson claimed in court that the child’s death was “tragic accident, not a crime”, PEOPLE reports.
Gonzales, who has three other children, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
This article originally appeared on marie claire.
