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Texas mother sentenced for death of her 5-month-old

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Published  September 16, 2024 3:02pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 7 Austin

The brief

    • A mother was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the death of her 5-month-old in August 2024.
    • The mother, who was intoxicated, smothered the infant to death while co-sleeping.

BLANCO COUNTY, Texas - A woman was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the death of her infant last month.

According to the Texas Attorney General's Office, 27-year-old Danielle Ivy Dechert pleaded guilty on August 30 to injury to a child - recklessly causing death/ serious bodily injury. 

In court documents, Dechert, the mother of a 5-month-old, was intoxicated by an illegal substance while "co-sleeping" with her child. She later smothered the child to death.

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Court documents also said Dechert didn't provide any medical treatment or emergency aid for over eight hours.

Dechert was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The sentence was enhanced with a prior conviction for evading in a motor vehicle and endangering a child in an unrelated incident in 2014.

The source

  • Information for this report was from the Office of the Attorney General.