A mother has been sentenced for causing the death of her two daughters after she left them inside a car in sweltering weather while she gambled at a casino in North Carolina, America.
Launice Shanique Battle, 31, was sentenced on Thursday after she pleaded guilty to the murder of her daughters, Trinity Milbourne, two, and Amora, three. The girls died of hyperthermia, which occurs when the body is exposed to extremely high temperatures.
Law and Crime News reported that Battle will serve a sentence of a little over seven years, with a possibility of up to 10 and a half years.
The publication reported that Battle was initially charged with two counts of felony murder, facing over 80 years in prison.
However, she reached a plea deal with the prosecution and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The judge determined that her guilty plea demonstrated her acceptance of responsibility for her actions, warranting a lesser sentence.
Battle was arrested in August 27, 2022 after she went to a casino in Raleigh and left her children in the car while she gambled for six hours.
The Independent said on the day, Battle parked her car partially in the shade while temperatures soared to 35°C.
It was reported that she left the children at 2:30pm and only returned at 8:30pm and found them unconscious.
She rushed the girls to hospital where they were immediately pronounced dead.
The UK publication said a medical report stated that the girls’ remains were already in stages of ‘mild decomposition’ when they were found.
Meanwhile, Battles’ cousin, Keisha Harris, spoke to WRAL and described her cousin as a responsible parent who just did a ‘careless mistake’.
“She was a young girl who might have been experiencing depression or whatever the case may be, she just made a bad decision,” Harris told the broadcaster.
IOL News