Mom gets 99 years in prison for gluing tot's hands
DALLAS (AP) - A Dallas woman who beat her 2-year-old daughter and glued the toddler's hands to a wall was sentenced Friday to 99 years in prison by a judge who described his decision as a necessary punishment for a brutal, shocking attack.
Elizabeth Escalona did not immediately react as State District Judge Larry Mitchell pronounced the sentence at the end of a five-day hearing. Prosecutor Eren Price, who originally offered Escalona a plea deal for 45 years, had argued that she now thought Escalona deserved life.
Mitchell said his decision came down to one thing.
"On Sept. 7, 2011, you savagely beat your child to the edge of death," Mitchell said. "For this you must be punished."
The beating left Jocelyn Cedillo in a coma for a couple of days.
Escalona's other children told authorities their mother attacked Jocelyn due to potty training problems. Police say she kicked her daughter in the stomach, beat her with a milk jug, then stuck her hands to an apartment wall with an adhesive commonly known as Super Glue.
Jocelyn suffered bleeding in her brain, a fractured rib, multiple bruises and bite marks, a doctor testified. Some skin had been torn off her hands, where doctors also found glue residue and white paint chips from the apartment wall.
Escalona pleaded guilty in July to one count of felony injury to a child.
Price said Escalona would be eligible to apply for parole in 30 years.
The prosecutor repeatedly sought to portray Escalona as a liar, a monster and an unfit mother. She forced Escalona Thursday to look at enlarged photos of the bruises her attack left on Jocelyn.
Price argued Friday that if a stranger had beaten Jocelyn the same way, no one would hesitate to give that person life in prison. Escalona had mishandled a "beautiful gift" of a daughter and failed to recognize what she had done, Price argued.
"The 45-year recommendation was for somebody who was going to take ownership of what she did, appreciate what she caused," Price said.
Sending her to prison for decades would protect her children's future, Price argued.
"You can give Jocelyn and her brothers and sister peace," she said. "You can give them peace, so that when they're sitting around the dinner table at Thanksgiving with their big family, they're not worried that their mother is going to come walking through the door."
Defense attorney Angie N'Duka asked for probation or a prison sentence shorter than 10 years. N'Duka argued that her client was a "train wreck" waiting to happen before the attack, the product of a broken home, abuse and a childhood that included illegal drugs and hanging out with gang members.
N'Duka repeated that she did not want to minimize the injuries from the attack.
"They are despicable, but then the question is, 'What is justice for Jocelyn?'" she said, adding later: "Giving Elizabeth the opportunity to be a better mother, giving her the opportunity to get counseling services, will be justice for Jocelyn."
Escalona's five children, including Jocelyn and a baby born after the attack, are in the care of their grandmother, Ofeila Escalona.
Mitchell listened to both lawyers and took a short break before delivering his sentence.
The judge said he believed many of the allegations that Escalona was abused as a child. "And again, outside of the context of this trial, I think even the state would find you to be a sympathetic figure, because they prosecute people for what was done to you," Mitchell said. "But I can't consider that evidence outside of the context of this trial."
He then announced the sentence. A family member of Escalona began sobbing and screaming, "No!"
N'Duka told reporters that Escalona had asked afterward, "What about my children?"
N'Duka said the sentence was "way too harsh" and suggested the widespread attention her client's case had received contributed to the sentence.
"It's a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure on the parties," N'Duka said.
Price said afterward prosecutors decided to ask for a longer sentence after receiving more evidence they wouldn't have had if Escalona had taken a deal for 45 years.
"We feel like the judge listened very carefully to a very difficult week of testimony, and we feel like he did exactly what the evidence called for," Price said.
Ofelia Escalona had asked for leniency for her daughter. After the sentencing, she left the courtroom with a solemn expression, ignoring reporters' shouted questions.
Elizabeth Escalona did not immediately react as State District Judge Larry Mitchell pronounced the sentence at the end of a five-day hearing. Prosecutor Eren Price, who originally offered Escalona a plea deal for 45 years, had argued that she now thought Escalona deserved life.
Mitchell said his decision came down to one thing.
"On Sept. 7, 2011, you savagely beat your child to the edge of death," Mitchell said. "For this you must be punished."
The beating left Jocelyn Cedillo in a coma for a couple of days.
Escalona's other children told authorities their mother attacked Jocelyn due to potty training problems. Police say she kicked her daughter in the stomach, beat her with a milk jug, then stuck her hands to an apartment wall with an adhesive commonly known as Super Glue.
Jocelyn suffered bleeding in her brain, a fractured rib, multiple bruises and bite marks, a doctor testified. Some skin had been torn off her hands, where doctors also found glue residue and white paint chips from the apartment wall.
Escalona pleaded guilty in July to one count of felony injury to a child.
Price said Escalona would be eligible to apply for parole in 30 years.
The prosecutor repeatedly sought to portray Escalona as a liar, a monster and an unfit mother. She forced Escalona Thursday to look at enlarged photos of the bruises her attack left on Jocelyn.
Price argued Friday that if a stranger had beaten Jocelyn the same way, no one would hesitate to give that person life in prison. Escalona had mishandled a "beautiful gift" of a daughter and failed to recognize what she had done, Price argued.
"The 45-year recommendation was for somebody who was going to take ownership of what she did, appreciate what she caused," Price said.
Sending her to prison for decades would protect her children's future, Price argued.
"You can give Jocelyn and her brothers and sister peace," she said. "You can give them peace, so that when they're sitting around the dinner table at Thanksgiving with their big family, they're not worried that their mother is going to come walking through the door."
Defense attorney Angie N'Duka asked for probation or a prison sentence shorter than 10 years. N'Duka argued that her client was a "train wreck" waiting to happen before the attack, the product of a broken home, abuse and a childhood that included illegal drugs and hanging out with gang members.
N'Duka repeated that she did not want to minimize the injuries from the attack.
"They are despicable, but then the question is, 'What is justice for Jocelyn?'" she said, adding later: "Giving Elizabeth the opportunity to be a better mother, giving her the opportunity to get counseling services, will be justice for Jocelyn."
Escalona's five children, including Jocelyn and a baby born after the attack, are in the care of their grandmother, Ofeila Escalona.
Mitchell listened to both lawyers and took a short break before delivering his sentence.
The judge said he believed many of the allegations that Escalona was abused as a child. "And again, outside of the context of this trial, I think even the state would find you to be a sympathetic figure, because they prosecute people for what was done to you," Mitchell said. "But I can't consider that evidence outside of the context of this trial."
He then announced the sentence. A family member of Escalona began sobbing and screaming, "No!"
N'Duka told reporters that Escalona had asked afterward, "What about my children?"
N'Duka said the sentence was "way too harsh" and suggested the widespread attention her client's case had received contributed to the sentence.
"It's a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure on the parties," N'Duka said.
Price said afterward prosecutors decided to ask for a longer sentence after receiving more evidence they wouldn't have had if Escalona had taken a deal for 45 years.
"We feel like the judge listened very carefully to a very difficult week of testimony, and we feel like he did exactly what the evidence called for," Price said.
Ofelia Escalona had asked for leniency for her daughter. After the sentencing, she left the courtroom with a solemn expression, ignoring reporters' shouted questions.
It's too bad that all she got was 99 years. I truly believe that if you're found convicted of a crime of hurting someone else and by convicted I mean that there's 100% evidence that you did it. You should receive the same injuries with no medical help. Hopefully someone glues her hands to the wall in jail. Not to sound rude or anything, but this sort of thing keeps happening more and more. People who are like this shouldn't be allowed to have children.
Why should we even feed and house someone like this? Why is this persons life so valuable that we must preserve it? We place far too much value on human life, just for the sake of life. Why? We need to streamline our legal system and get much more liberal with the death penalty. Making it cost-effective will be cost effective.
Welcome to Texas. I'm surprised she didn't get death.
This woman kicked a two year old girl in the stomach, hit her with a milk jug (plastic, I'm assuming. That's incredibly painful) broke her rib, caused her brain to bleed, tore the skin off of those sweet little hands, and BIT her, multiple times? Bit her??? This isn't a woman, this is an animal, and she should never see the light of day. Give me that baby girl, I'll take care of her. AND she did this in front of her other children? Life with NO parole is too good for her.
I can't help but wonder if this woman learned this behavior from her own upbringing. Â Why give custody of the children to the woman who raised this abusive mother?
When I saw the 99 year sentence heading, I thought that's a bit harsh. Â But after reading what she had done to another human being, her own child, defenseless baby, I retract my thought.
headline is misleading... the glueing to the wall was not the reason she received 99 years. She received it for beating the child almost to death.
"Escalona's five children, including Jocelyn and a baby born after the attack, are in the care of their grandmother, Ofeila Escalona." Is this the same woman that allowed her daughter to life a life like this? :Â "N'Duka argued that her client was a "train wreck" waiting to happen before the attack, the product of a broken home, abuse and a childhood that included illegal drugs and hanging out with gang members."
If so, she shouldn't have custody either. The kids should go to a loving, STABLE home filled with LOVE. Not the home that PRODUCED a woman who can do such horrific things.
Just because someone was abused as a child does not mean they will abuse their own children. That is an excuse, and a very lame one at that. This lady deserves her punishment and I would like to see this become the norm for child predators when they are sentenced.Â
Once again I must comment on this case. Â 5 kids, including one born after the beating....wow....Glad this drug taking, gang member loving, baby factory is being closed down....oh wait, she will probably get pregnant in prison.....
"N'Duka said the sentence was "way too harsh" and suggested the widespread attention her client's case had received contributed to the sentence."
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Really? I SO disagree. She could have easily killed her 2 year old DEFENSELESS child. I mean who does that S...? Seriously? Potty training is a difficult time, but hey ...she's done it what ...4 or 5 times before? She should know that there are some days that are WAY more trying than others. SHAME ON YOU "mom". You deserve every day in prison you were sentenced. Way to go judge!
So the judge says he believes this Mother was abused as a child, but allows the children to live with the Mother who probably abused her?
 @JustUs There was no evidence of a true broken home...it could have been a defense ploy.  It also didn't specify where the abuse came from.  It was just a part of her life.  It could have come from another family member and not necessarily the mother.  A "broken home" simply indicates that they weren't a Leave it To Beaver family. Â
 @JustUs Logic has no place in the courtroom.
There needs to be consistency with the judges and how they decide punishments. If all people who perpetrate crimes against children were punished like this there might be less crimes against children. Many times these people are getting a slap on the wrist. I notice that when a mother does the crime the punishment is way beyond what other people are getting for crimes against children.
This 26 y/o baby factory will no longer be torturing her babies or contributing to this planet's woeful over population.
look at how sad she is,... what a Fing psyco
Don't get me wrong, she deserves every second of the sentence she was handed, but where is the consistency for crimes against children? There used to be a guy at my work who admitted (in court) and had a child testify against him for sexually abusing and raping two very young girls. He served 1 year and 1 day in prison. He should be, at minimum locked up for life.
@Gadsden , agreed, laws on sex crimes are BS
This monster got what she deserved. My only concern is that the judge acknowledged that he believed the "mother" herself was abused as a child and her children were placed in the care of their grandmother, the mom's mom. Are they certain that the grandmother wasn't abusive or that the children are safe there?
Obviously this is something that angers everyone, myself included, although I have to say these hateful, vengeful comments serve little purpose. Â This woman, who will almost certainly never have the opportunity to bear and/or abuse children again did not become the way she is in a vacuum. Â The glaring question which no one is asking (and everyone should ask if they really give a damn about the children) Â is what qualifies the grandparents, who almost assuredly had a hand in creating this seriously dysfunctional mother, to be worthy parents of these children? Â WTF?Â
Burn this witch at the stake!! Really? Beating a baby girl to near death and she isn't getting the death penalty!! What harm and chilling darkness this woman threw on this child!! I pray that the baby will some how some way forget and never remember the bashing, and stinging of her murderous mothers attempts!!
 @reelin21 Don't you worry, any prison sentence for someone like this is a death sentence. The second an inmate asks to see her papers she's as good as dead. Even prisoners don't take too kindly to child abuse, especially of this magnitude.
I'd like to see more rapists and sex offenders with sentences like this.
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Yes whats the deal we got this scum Clinton running around after Juanita Broderick stated she was raped by Clinton and he got zero time and is being show cased at the Democrat national convention.
always gotta be someone who brings up some political BS.  Stay on track with the story you fool.
@sarah2 No kidding.
I am all about punishment for child abuse or molestation and all of that.. but I think 99 years is a bit extreme.Â
It's sad to think of the many other children in our country that endure this type of abuse everyday,yet the parent(s) are never brought to justice..bringing a child into this world should be a priviledge-not a right
I'd just soon hang this rotten POS but love the fact this judge gave you a life sentence and thensome- Rot in hell you miserable piece of trash. Hey Washington State, this is what JUSTICE LOOKS LIKE - Did some judge just give some teenager 3 years for blowing his father away in cold blood? Seriously!
Glad the Judge saw this witch (with a B) for what she is. We need that Judge in Washington state.
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N'Duka argued that her client was a "train wreck" waiting to happen before the attack, the product of a broken home, abuse and a childhood that included illegal drugs and hanging out with gang members.
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What a bunch of bull. There is no justification or excuse for what she did.
Yea good bye momma!!! you should have your hands glued to the bars in your jail cell.
Yep, you got it right, lock 'er up, and throw away the key!!
Oh and, where are the tears? Her face is completely dry. The sad part, even if she did have tears they'd be there because she would be crying for herself going to prison. She's not even thinking of the child. If she even has a tenny  tiny chance of ever getting pregnant, remove all her reproducting parts.
We need MORE judges like this one. It's unbelievable the lack of time criminals receive for their crimes. The person they kill is never coming back and it affects family & friends. Or the victim they tortured will never mentally be the same and sometimes even physically.  Donât let these creeps get a second victim. This woman is ill. Who could do that to any child, let alone your own? How many kids does she have? Is she even here legally? She should just be shot in the head and problem solved. Iâll even buy the bullet.
 @Gigi She has 5 kids, including one born after she did this.
But I thought she said she wasn't a monster? Â Glad to see the judge thinks she is. Â if only this kind of sentencing was employed across the board for crimes against people.
This is the sentence Adam Lee Brown should have gotten the first time he was caught raping children and trying to infect them with AIDs. Then a poor kid would have been able to safely go to the bathroom in Wendy's.
 @Willow Kind of along the same thoughts I had after reading the story. Horrific thing to do to a child but freaking pedophiles and child rapists are given sentences way less than this, and frequently released to re-offend.
We don't care what she was a product of- she is a dangerous person and others deserve to be protected from her. I am glad for the long sentence but I wish a sentence was really a sentence- no parole.
Good for Texas! They know what justice means...unlike the pathetic liberals in Washington which most likely would have slapped her on her wrist and sent her on her way in a few months.
They give lower sentences for murder.
 @JLS1950 While I agree there's a bit of a mismatch (one can argue that the fine you get for illegally copying a song from iTunes is harsher than a murder sentence), consider that this woman's daughter is still alive. She was severely injured, possibly brain-damaged as a result of this abuse, suffered other terrible trauma, and now has to bear the physical and emotional scars of this abuse for the rest of her life.
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Whereas a murdered person is dead and, hard as it is for them, that person's friends and family will eventually be able to move on with their lives.
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In cases like this, I believe harsher sentences for abuse are justified.
 @KieferSkunk So, are you suggesting that had she just outright killed the child ("negligently" of course) that would justify a lesser sentence because the child would not be carrying scars for a life time and the family could "move on"?
This article does not really say much about the lasting effects of the abuse - whether the child is recovering or not. (And since the child and all her siblings are now in the care of the grandmother, I am guessing that she must be doing fairly well.) The main focus of the article seems to be that the mother super-glued the kid the wall ("super glue! how terrible!") for soiling herself, and that the mother therefore deserves to be incarcerated for life. Not justifying that, but clearly was not fatal or even permanently maiming in and of itself.)
The problem I am having with this sentence is that it appears to be an emotional response unrelated to actual justice in the case. On the other hand, if it turns out that the child will now suffer a lifetime of severe disability then maybe the sentence is more appropriate after all.
I wish we had more judges like this.
Yeah. Where are "Judge" Roy Bean and "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker when we really need them? Life is boring: we need some old-time public hangings to liven things up a bit! Maybe even some public executions of accused "adulterous" wives to avoid the specter of more Petersons (Scott and Drew). I hear the Astrodome is begging for bookings! Do it for Texas! </sarcasm>
Basic question here: how much permanent damage is the child actually suffering? This does not seem to be reported clearly. Is she getting the help and treatment she needs, or was she just sent to live with the mother who raised her mother...?
My wife's mother scalded her from mid-chest down and tried to drown her in a tubful of hot water when she was very young: never spent an hour in jail for it, however.
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I applaud this sentence! And while I detest public defenders that do inadequate jobs, I think N'Duka goes a little overboard in her client's defense after-the-fact. During the trial, you could expect public defender to present a reasonable defense. Afterwards, I'd be wanting to tell the client, 'deal with it'. Escalona asked AFTER her sentencing 'What about my children?', a mother with ANY potential for rehab would have been asking about them BEFORE hand!
 TX gave her what she deserved.  Being a mother myself I can't even imagine thinking of something like that to do to my daughter.  Sick women!  I'm so sick of people saying poor me, I had a bad childhood.  Well I didn't have the greatest childhood and I turned out fine.  Take responsibility, you have all the power to change yourself.  I hope that sweet little girl doesn't have the same problems with her grandmother.  Â
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What kind of damage has she done to the other children? Where are the irresponsible fathers.....assuming there were multiple fathers.