A southwest Missouri woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the death of a 9-month-old boy she was baby-sitting.
Prosecutors said 55-year-old Brenda Caringer (KAYR'-ihn-jur) will have to serve nearly 13 years before she qualifies for parole, under the sentence she received Friday in Greene County Circuit Court.
KYTV reports Caringer broke down in tears after Judge Calvin Holden read the sentence.
The judge had convicted Caringer two months ago of child abuse resulting in death.
Caringer was sitting for 9-month-old Lucas Theede-Bennett in her Willard home in January 2009 when he stopped breathing. Medical examiners concluded the little boy received a blow to the head equal to being dropped off a one-story building.
The judge said Caringer must have delivered the blow because she was the only adult in her home.
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