Crime and Courts

Upstate NY Mother Gets 15 Years in Prison for Letting Disabled Daughter, 10, Starve

The woman's daughter had cerebral palsy, was in a wheelchair and couldn't feed herself

A gavel on a table
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An upstate New York woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday for letting her disabled 10-year-old daughter starve to death.

Serina Madden, 32, of Nineveh in Broome County pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in November as her trial for second-degree murder was about to start. If convicted of the greater charge, she would have faced up to 25 years to life in prison.

Madden's daughter, Belladonna Loke, had cerebral palsy, was in a wheelchair and couldn't feed herself. Prosecutors said Madden found the child dead in her room the morning of Feb. 17, 2018.

Madden had moved from Georgia with her four children in 2017 and was staying at a relative's home. The children weren't attending school and Belladonna hadn't seen a doctor since leaving Georgia, according to court records.

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