Arizona woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering 3-year-old girl
Apr 25, 2024, 1:00 PM
Shawn Main, 53, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a 3-year-old girl, authorities said. (Pinal County Sheriff's Office photo)
(Pinal County Sheriff's Office photo)
PHOENIX — An Arizona woman was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a 3-year-old girl, authorities announced on Thursday.
Shawn Main, 53, was previously found guilty of first-degree murder, according to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office. She was also guilty of multiple child abuse charges.
Main faced a bench trial, which meant Pinal County Superior Court Judge Daniel Washburn decided her guilt — not a jury.
Main didn’t accept responsibility for her crimes, prosecutors said. She allegedly responded to her guilty verdicts by telling the judge, “I couldn’t believe you got it so wrong.”
Why the judge found her guilty of murdering a 3-year-old girl
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office started investigating the death of Tiana Rosalie Capps on Nov. 19, 2015.
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Deputies responded to Banner Casa Grande Medical Center to investigate Tiana’s death, prosecutors said.
Tiana had injuries across her body in addition to an “extremely severe diaper rash,” prosecutors said.
Main, who was taking care of the victim when she sustained the injuries, allegedly made conflicting statements about how Tiana was hurt.
She told detectives Tiana fell repeatedly, prosecutors said.
“The state argued that blunt force trauma was the cause of death, with a dozen impacts to the victim’s head and face,” PCAO said in a press release.
“The injuries were not at all consistent with a child falling on their own.”
What happened leading up to the 3-year-old’s death?
At the time of Tiana’s death, Main and her wife were trying to adopt Tiana along with three other children.
Main and her wife, Maria Tiglao, were living with the four children in Maricopa, prosecutors said.
The couple was also allegedly living with the children’s biological mother: Tina Morse, who was also arrested on suspicion of child abuse.
“Children are the most vulnerable in our community and it’s a tragedy this young girl’s life was cut so short,” County Attorney Kent Volkmer said in the press release. “Those who abuse children need to be held accountable. Our thoughts are with the girl’s siblings who will go through life without their sister.”
