NEW YORK, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Authorities say Nixzaliz Santiago was sentenced to 43 years in prison for ignoring her 7-year-old daughter as she lay dying in their New York home.
"By your own statements, she gasped for air -- moaning -- and called for you twice until she died. You, Mrs. Santiago, ignored the desperate calls and left this little 7-year-old alone and you did nothing," Judge Patricia Brown said Wednesday at Santiago's sentencing.
Santiago was convicted last month of first-degree manslaughter and two counts of assault in the death of her daughter, Nixzmary Brown, who died Jan. 11, 2006, of brain injuries after her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, 29, hit her head against a bathtub for taking a cup of yogurt in their Brooklyn apartment, the New York Post reported Thursday.
Rodriguez received 29 years for first-degree manslaughter and unlawful imprisonment, the Post reported, noting the girl weighed only 36 pounds when she died.
