State
Woman gets life sentence in daughter's death
Posted: Oct 17, 2012 5:23 PM
Updated: Oct 17, 2012 5:23 PM
EL PASO, Texas (AP) A West Texas woman accused of fatally beating her 3-year-old daughter in November 2007 has been sentenced to life without parole plus 35 years in prison.
A jury found 30-year-old Yara Belen Perez guilty of capital murder and failure to protect her child in the death of Jacqueline Gonzalez. The El Paso Times (http://bit.ly/TvfHbQ) reports defense attorney Joe Spencer says no decision has been made on appealing.
Perez's trial ended in a mistrial last summer when a juror heard two courthouse security officers discussing the case. The juror also told other jurors about the bailiffs' conversation.
The child's body was found in a car trunk outside an apartment Perez shared with her boyfriend. The boyfriend was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2010 for the killing.
