A 24 year old Nigerian woman has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for the death of one of the children, 16-month-old Elias Castillo.
She still faces charges related to the rest of the children. Defense attorney Mike DeGeurin said he still believes Tata should not have been tried for murder because the deaths were an accident.”
The sentence is not going to fix things. It’s not going to make anybody feel better later on. But the jury has spoken. That’s their sentence,” DeGeurin said.
Defense attorneys had presented expert testimony to argue that a faulty stove or refrigerator may have sparked the blaze.
Prosecutor Steve Baldassano said that while he has sympathy for Tata’s family, she had nobody to blame but herself.
“She was being paid to watch these children. She knew better,” Baldassano said. “It’s not the stove. It’s not the refrigerator. It’s not any parents’ fault. It’s nobody’s fault but her own.”
One of the surviving children, Makayla Dickerson, stood next to Baldassano as he spoke. Makayla, whose 3-year-old brother Shomari died in the fire, showed reporters scars the fire left on her right forearm.
Tata’s attorneys argued she never intended to hurt the children, who ranged in age from 16 months to 3 years old, and whom Tata had referred to as “her babies.” But prosecutors did not need to show she intended to harm them, only that the deaths occurred because she put them in danger by leaving them alone.
Under Texas law, a person can be convicted of felony murder if he or she committed an underlying felony and that action led to the death.
Tata still faces three more counts of felony murder in relation to the other children who died, and three counts of abandoning a child and two counts of reckless injury to a child in relation to the three who were hurt prosecutors say they plan to pursue.
What has happen has happened…..sentencing her to 80 yrs in prison cannot bring bak the dead….at leas…3….4 yrs is okay just to correct her for her recklesness….we are all human..made of flesh and bone and nobody is sbove mistake. Presd. Goodluck should quickly take steps on this not to let this lady suffer for free.
Wat as happened as happened,no body’s above mistake at least we all know dat sentence dis lady to jail for 80yrs will never bring back de children to life,at least 2 to 3yrs in jail will be a lesson to her mistake.
It is unfortunate.
But serving 80years for negligence is outrageous !
Even rapist and kidnappers get less time for their crime.
They was no reported case of brutality or cruelty before the incident.
There is no prof that she started the fire.
And I’m pretty sure she is a first time offender and her offence is negligence which could happen to anyone.
The penalty for the crime is too steep.
That means cops on patrol should be held accountable wen a citizen is attacked, after all it is their duty to keep citizens safe.
It is only in my country that crime goes unpunished. She is being punished for negligence. Someone must bear the punishment for his or her negligence. I feel for her though!
i kw very well dat it is nt her fault,just ignorance of living the children alone.but lets come to think of it,how can she b sentenced to 80years in prison nd she stil face charges on count,dats ridiculous nd unfair.may GOD in his infinite mercy help her if she z innocent.
They are just racists who think she will deliberately want to kill those children. 80years is just too much, for what?