Pa. parents sentenced in death of baby left alone
Aug 31, 2012, 12:08 AM
JIM THORPE, Pa. (AP) – Two eastern Pennsylvania parents whose baby daughter was left alone in a car seat in a hot room for several hours and died have been sentenced to time behind bars.
Authorities say the Palmerton couple’s daughter had no food or water for 16 hours.
A judge sentenced Kimberly Taschler to 14 months to 3 1/2 years in prison. Husband Jacob Taschler was sentenced to 11 months to two years.
Authorities allege the Taschlers had neglected 11-month-old Kayla even before her death in January 2010.
Both parents cried in Carbon County court on Thursday. Thirty-year-old Kimberly Taschler says she was overwhelmed and didn’t seek proper help.
Prosecutors say the mother received a longer sentence because she was home when the baby died and was her primary caretaker.
A defense attorney had called the baby’s autopsy report “junk science.”
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