BELTON - The woman found guilty of starving her infant child to death has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Nilda Iliana Rodriguez, of Harker Heights, was charged with a felony murder for malnourishment and dehydration death of her 7-week-old baby, Deon Dajuan Griffin.
On Tuesday, two witnesses for the prosecution took the stand. They were Joni McClain, deputy chief medical examiner for the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science in Dallas, and Dr. David Hardy, a pediatric critical care doctor at Scott and White hospital in Temple.
Both prosecution witnesses strongly underlined that the cause of death was indeed malnutrition and dehydration.
A sunken fontanel (baby's "soft spot" of the skull), wasting body, distended stomach, no body fat, and the lack of enough electrolytes to even run lab tests were symptoms, they said.
"(The baby) looked like an old man," Hardy said.
The defense maintained its standing that a diabetic coma, insulin rejection and possible thyroid problems for Deon's death.
Rodriguez's defense attorney called six witnesses to the stand, five of whom live in the same Harker Heights trailer park as Rodriguez.
They painted the picture of a loving mother who always kept her kids nearby, and that their home was immaculate.
Prosecutor Mike Waldman attacked their credibility because the neighbors never saw what happened behind closed doors and they could never say that Rodriguez indeed fed baby Deon the required nutrition.
The events surrounding the day Deon died were called to attention when a Child Protective Services worker was brought to the home and told Rodriguez to make sure the kids were well fed and to bring them in for a counselor interview.
When she failed to do so, the children were forcibly taken away by CPS.
Deon's twin, Melania, was found to be underweight, and when fed, quickly returned to health.
Rodriguez's oldest son was found to have a severe ear infection with pus, caused by neglect, physicians said.
After about an hour and 15 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Rodriguez guilty just before 5:30 p.m.
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Rodriguez's MS:
http://www.myspace.com/446515832