Dad and stepmom get 35 years in water-intoxication death of girl, 5
The father and stepmother of a 5-year-old girl who died of water intoxication injuries in 2012 have been sentenced to 35 years in prison by a Tennessee judge.
Randall Lee Vaughn, 41, and Mary Lavonne Vaughn, 58, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and aggravated child neglect, the Rogersville Review reports. They each got 20 years on the murder charge, plus another 15 for child neglect, which amounts to life terms in the Hawkins County case.
The two had originally faced first-degree murder charges.
They punished Alexa Linboom by forcing her to drink approximately 2.4 liters of grape soda and water in a one to 2-hour period after she drank some grape soda without permission, the Rogersville Review reported. Then they failed to act promptly to get medical care when she started showing signs of injury, the government said.
“Our position is it was a matter of several hours after the child started exhibiting serious symptoms, after the child was screaming out in pain, went into a paralyzed state, and became unconscious,” state attorney general Berkeley Bell told the Times-News earlier this year.
Hat tip: Daily Mail.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Married couple face first-degree murder charges in water-intoxication death of girl, 5”
