A central Florida woman has been charged in the death of her 18-month-old daughter, accused of strangling the toddler with a string of Halloween lights last Nov.
Kristen DePasquale, 27, faces charges of premeditated murder and child abuse. The mother told police officers that she is innocent, and claims her 2-year-old son is responsible, according to CBS News.
When officers arrived to DePasquale's home in Oviedo they found her daughter unconscious on the living-room floor with "deep grooves" around her neck, CBS reported. Medical officials tried to perform CPR on the child, but attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.
Police believe the weapon used on the infant was a string of pumpkin-shaped Halloween lights that were hanging on the sliding glass doors of the home.
The medical examiner said that the marks on the toddler's neck "was so deep it required more force than a 2 1/2-year-old boy could muster," CBS reported. The examiner also concluded that the girl was strangled for four to six minutes.
But DePasquale's attorneys claim that the boy confessed to his mother before officers arrived and then to a child-welfare worker three days later. Prosecutors said they do not believe the boy's confession is credible, according to CBS News.
DePasquale has no criminal history or record of child abuse with the Florida Department of Children and Families, media outlets reported.
About the Author
