The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to injury to a child in July, and her attorney asked for a 45-year prison sentence. The judge however felt that Escalona wasn't remorseful in what she did, so she doubled the sentence and then some.
On the stand, she recalled being abused by boyfriends, being molested as a child, and her addictions to weed and cocaine. She also recalled how angry she got when her daughter peed herself, citing how sacred the no-no is to her. I guess this was supposed to justify beating her daughter until she fell into a coma for two days.The prosecution did their best to break down Escalona's character, flashing the word "liar" on the screen behind her while she testified (a nice touch). They played an audio of her as a teenager threatening to kill her mother. They also said that she is a former gang member who started smoking weed when she was 11 years old.
Escalona has five children including the one she just had while she was locked up. They were taken from her and given to her mother who now has custody. She will have to serve 30 years before she is eligible for parole, but she and her attorney plan to appeal.
What do you think? Was justice served? Do you think there should be some law that requires abusive parents to have their reproductive abilities taken away?
