LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Indiana woman found guilty on charges related to the death of her 3-year-old stepdaughter last year will spend decades behind bars.
A Clark County jury found Ashanti Jackson guilty Sept. 12 of aggravated battery and neglect of a dependent resulting in injury. Those are two of the four charges originally given to Jackson. She was found not guilty of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and battery with serious injury of a person under the age of 14.
Jackson, of Indianapolis, was sentenced in Clark County Circuit Court Monday afternoon to 40 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections. A three-year sentence on the neglect of a dependent charge will run concurrently. She faced a maximum of 46 years in prison on both charges.
An investigation was started on Aug. 22, 2023 when a detective from Clarksville, Indiana, responded to Norton Children's Hospital in downtown Louisville after a 3-year-old was brought there from the Suburban Motel in Clarksville, according to a probable cause affidavit. That's off Broadway Street off Veterans Parkway.
First responders were told the child was injured after falling from a bed while having a seizure. Doctors who examined the child determined her injuries were caused by "non-accidental trauma" and were life-threatening.
Court records state that surgeons had to remove part of the child's skull due to a large amount of brain swelling. The child, identified by her mother to WDRB at the time as Mehlani, was not expected to survive, and she was taken off support on Aug. 24, 2023, after doctors determined there was no brain activity.
The final autopsy report was released on Dec. 12. It stated that the 3-year-old "was assaulted," and her death was ruled a homicide. The report said she died from blunt impact injuries to her head, "in the setting of battered child syndrome."
The coroner's report also indicated the child suffered "a significant traumatic injury to her abdomen." Specifically, they found a tear in her mesentery, which is a membrane that attaches the intestine to the wall around the stomach area. It is believed that injury occurred up to two weeks before the child was hospitalized, and most likely caused her "to endure pain and suffering."
Police said evidence shows Jackson tried to revive the child before calling 911 by placing her in a cold bath.
Jackson was originally scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 6, but the sentencing was rescheduled for Monday.
Previous Coverage:
Indiana stepmother found guilty of aggravated battery in death of 3-year-old girl
Stepmother charged after 3-year-old with fatal injuries found in southern Indiana motel
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