A Florida babysitter who "forgot" the baby she was looking after in a hot car, ultimately leading to the child's death, will serve more than a decade in prison.
Rhonda Jewell, 46, was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday. She was found guilty of third-degree murder and child neglect in November, as reported by First Coast News.
During the sentencing hearing, Jewell apologized to the family, saying that she was "eternally sorry" for leaving 10-month-old Ariya Paige in the vehicle while she was looking after other children.
"You trusted me and I failed," Jewell told the family at court, as reported by First Coast News.
"I feel like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders," Brooke Paige, the mother of the deceased child, told reporters, according to WJXT. "I feel like we have accomplished not only for the family but also the community for Ariya."
Jewell previously testified that she "forgot" the baby in the backseat of an SUV in July 2023, as reported by WJXT. The child died from hyperthermia after investigators determined she had been in the hot car for five hours.
The temperature outside that day reached 100 degrees, and the temperature inside the vehicle climbed to 133 degrees, according to an incident report obtained by First Coast News.
"Instead of planning Ariya's first birthday, we had to plan her funeral," Pamela Paige, the baby's grandmother, previously told the court.
The state had been seeking a 20-year sentence for Jewell. She was sentenced to 15 years for third-degree murder and two years for child neglect.
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