Woman pleads guilty to strangling boyfriend's toddler daughter

Woman Pleads Guilty to Strangling 23-Month-Old Girl

A Pennsylvania woman has pleaded guilty in the 2018 death of a 23-month-old girl in Clairton.

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Deasha Ringgold was charged with homicide and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the death of Aubree Sherrell.

>> On WPXI.com: Woman accused of killing toddler taken into custody

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped one of the charges and agreed to a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.

Ringgold was dating Sherrell's father and was babysitting her the day she died.

An unresponsive Sherrell was taken to a hospital on April 27, 2018, and was later pronounced dead, police said.

Ringgold allegedly told police that she put the girl to bed in her apartment on Glenn Drive and went to sleep herself. According to investigators, Ringgold told them that she found Sherrell lying on her back and her lips were blue.

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Police said Ringgold told them she took Sherrell to the hospital right away, but cellphone records show that an hour before she did, she allegedly Googled the following:

  • "How to do CPR on a baby?"
  • "How to wake up a knocked out person"
  • "My friend got choked out, what do I do?"

An investigation determined Aug. 10 that Sherrell’s death was a homicide, and a warrant was issued for Ringgold. Police said the girl died from strangulation and had bruises around her neck.