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Mother Gets 60 Years in Scalding Death

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[November 17, 2007]  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- A woman convicted of killing her 3-year-old son by plunging him into scalding water as punishment for soiling his diaper was sentenced Friday to 60 years in prison.

Valerie Kennedy, 32, was convicted last month of manslaughter and child abuse in the death of Jaquez Mason.

Authorities said Kennedy plunged her son into the water on Christmas Day 2005. The boy suffered severe burns and went a week without treatment before dying.

"You took away his life in a way that was preventable," Circuit Judge Jeffrey Levinson told Kennedy. "You subjected him to pain, you subjected him to suffering, and you let him wither."

Prosecutors had sought a conviction for first-degree murder and a life sentence.

Kennedy's mother, Annie Williams, had custody of Jaquez and his siblings at the time. Kennedy had lost custody of them because of child abuse allegations.

Prosecutors allege Williams allowed Jaquez to spend Christmas at his mother's apartment, where the injuries occurred. Williams, 53, is also charged with first-degree murder. Her trial is tentatively set for next month.

[Associated Press]

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