MANASSAS, Va. (AP) - A judge has sentenced a Manassas baby-sitter to five years in prison for the murder of a toddler she had been watching, leaving the child’s family outraged by the light sentence.
Twenty-two-year-old Jessica Fraraccio pleaded guilty last year to killing 23-month-old Elijah Nealey after he wouldn’t stop crying.
Fraraccio had initially said Elijah slipped in the tub, but months later admitted pulling a chair out from under him and smothering him.
The judge, J. Howe Brown, could have sentenced Fraraccio to 50 years in prison but instead opted for a five-year sentence and a requirement that Fraraccio write a check of at least $1 a year to the charity of her choosing for the rest of her life after her release.
Elijah’s grandmother called the sentence an insult.
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