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Mother said Josh Powell threatened her
FORT PIERCE, Fla., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A 32-year-old Florida woman will spend her life in prison after pleading guilty to killing her 8-year-old son on Christmas Day 2008, a prosecutor says.
TCPalm.com reported Thursday Eryn Allegra of Port St. Lucie pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges in a plea deal with prosecutors that lets her avoid a possible death penalty.
Chief Assistant State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl said Allegra will likely spend her time in prison thinking about taking her son's life, making the life sentence "probably a much greater punishment for her."
The life prison sentence was given for the first-degree murder charge. She received a consecutive term of 30 years for the abuse charge.
Police in Post St. Lucie said Allegra gave her son, Tristan, medication on Christmas Eve 2008 to help him sleep. Police said she then smothered the young boy with a pillow early the next morning.
TCPalm.com said Allegra, who unsuccessfully attempted suicide after killing her son, told authorities she had been having financial troubles and had lost a baby while pregnant with a former boyfriend's child.
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