According to the court documents, the defendant, later identified as 41-year-old Angela, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, resulting in death. During the trial, the woman reportedly admitted to using duct tape to tie the 5-year-old child, Almela, before stuffing her mouth with a sock because her crying kept the other children up at night.
According to the court documents, the 41-year-old woman was sentenced to life in prison. Her co-defendant, Shamira, will appear on court in the following months. Prosecutors said that the investigation began last year when the victim’s older sister called 911 and told the dispatcher that her 5-year-old sister was not responsive.
When officers arrived on scene, the unidentified child answered the door, because both adult woman, Shamira and Angela, were sleeping. Per reports, 5-year-old Almela was pronounced dead at the scene. During an interview with investigators, the victim’s older sister reportedly said that the 5-year-old girl, who body was covered with blanket, was choked.
The little girl also told investigators that Angela and Shamira initially used duct tape, before moving on to tying the little girl with nylon rope. After the tied the little girl, they also stuffed sock in her mouth because the child’s crying and whining kept the other children up at night, reports say. Angela reportedly told investigators that ‘she thought the 5-year-old girl was alright because she could breathe through her nose,’ when they asked her about the sock.
