The mother who left her 2-year-old daughter to die in a sealed car while she partied and drank in a nearby vehicle until she passed out has been sentenced to 14 years and eight months in prison.
Lacey Ana Mazzarella, 35, had pleaded no contest back in October to one count each of voluntary manslaughter, mayhem as well as child abuse resulting in death.
The sentencing was announced by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The child, June Love Agosto, died on Sept. 23, 2019, after being found unconscious in the vehicle parked in West Carson, California, according to authorities. The child was immediately taken to the hospital, where she was unable to be revived.
Mazzarella informed police how at around 11 p.m. on Sept. 22, she left June buckled into her car set, with a blanket over her legs, and the heat in the vehicle on.
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She additionally revealed to police how she had been drinking with a friend in a vehicle parked next to hers. She went on to admit how she eventually fell asleep in the friend’s car and awoke five hours later.
When she returned to her own vehicle, the child was dead and the engine and heater were still running, stated Deputy District Attorney David Zygielbaum.
Police allege that Mazzarella then removed June from the vehicle, placed her on the lawn, and sprayed her with a hose in an attempt to cool her off.
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EMTs noted that the child’s body temperature at the scene was 107.5 degrees. In addition, June also sustained burns to her face, chest and arms.
Originally, Mazzarella was charged with one count each of murder and child neglect resulting in death.
Mazzarella’s prison sentence was the punishment to which she agreed when she entered her guilty pleas to the lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter, mayhem and child abuse resulting in death.
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