Between uncontrollable sobs in court, Yalines Torres learned her future: 16 years in jail. She was babysitting a toddler, Elijah Gasque, in January 2008.
She pleaded guilty to manslaughter, claiming she was playing a game, swinging the little boy in a sleeping bag when he slipped out and hit the wall. He later died as a result of a fractured skull.
At the highly emotional sentencing in Hartford Superior Court, Elijah's mother and grandmother spoke of their loss and the excruciating pain they now live with, in living without Elijah. Torres, who had no previous record, read from a statement expressing her deep remorse.
But the prosecution did not necessarily believe the 'accidental' explanation as Torres initially lied to police. The state originally sought a capital felony conviction and the victim's family members were disturbed by the lesser charge.
In court, the mother of the victim spoke with anger and heartache but in the end said that her faith allowed her to forgive Torres, who is also a mother.
