An appeals court in Indiana on Thursday upheld the prison sentence for a Terre Haute woman who claimed her prison sentence in the starvation death of her 5-year-old disabled daughter was “inappropriate,” WTHI reported.
Tiffany Lynn Daugherty, 29, pleaded guilty to neglect, theft and reckless homicide in the January 2016 death of Adilynn Moseman. An autopsy revealed the child, who was “deaf, blind and mute,” weighed 16 pounds when she died, WTHI reported. According to court documents, Daugherty was sentenced to 15 years in prison, in September with an additional six years of probation.
Daugherty appealed the decision to the Indiana Court of Appeals, arguing that her sentence “was inappropriate in light of the nature” of her offenses and her character. She claimed it was her first offense, and that she did not act “with a malicious intent.” She asked the court to reduce her sentence, WTHI reported.
According to court documents, Daugherty admitted “to recklessly killing her young child by failing to properly feed and care for her.”
The appeals court rejected Daugherty’s argument and affirmed the jail sentence, the television station reported. She can appeal her sentence again after serving 10 years in prison, WTHI reported.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.