The 34-year-old woman who left her 13-month-old boy alone in a bathtub while she played a Facebook video game got 10 years in prison, as prosecutors pursued a stiff sentence to underscore the seriousness of the crime.
Shannon Johnson, of Fort Lupton, Colo., pleaded guilty to negligently causing the death of her child, and faced four to 12 years in prison on that charge - or even potentially no jail time, just probation. But authorities went for hard time, not wanting to trivialize a crime shocking in its carelessness.
The judge who sentenced Johnson told her she was not a bad person, nor did she intend to harm her child, but she still committed a crime. "You left this little boy in a bathtub so you could entertain yourself on the computer by playing games," the judge said as Johnson cried. "And you left that 13-month-old human being, little Joseph, incredibly, for those reasons."
Mom Sentenced for Using Facebook as Son Drowned [AP via NPR. Image via KDVR-TV.]