Ohio mom Kristel Candelario sentenced to life in prison for leaving toddler to ... trends now
An Ohio mother who left her toddler to starve to death while she vacationed in Puerto Rico has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Kristel Candelario, a 32-year-old former elementary school worker, had pleaded guilty last month to aggravated murder and child endangerment as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors, who dismissed two murder counts and a felonious assault charge.
The charges came after Candelario shared pictures of herself posing on a Caribbean beach as she enjoyed a vacation, while her 16-month-old baby was left completely alone at her home in Cleveland.
When she returned from her 10 days of travelling in June 2023, Candelario found her toddler in her playpen and not breathing.
She called 911 and emergency responders found the child laying in a pile of her own filth and was 'extremely dehydrated'. The toddler was pronounced dead shortly after they arrived.
Kristel Candelario, 32, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after leaving her toddler home alone to die while she vacationed in Puerto Rico for 10 days
Kristel Candelario, 32, beamed as she posed on a Puerto Rican beach in an image posted three days into her daughter's ten-day abandonment which she captioned: 'The time that is enjoyed is the true time lived'
She had pleaded guilty last month to aggravated murder and child endangerment as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors, who dismissed two murder counts and a felonious assault charge
'Just as you didn't let Jailyn out of her confinement, so too you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom,' Judge Sheehan said.
'The only difference will be, the prison will at least feed you and give you liquid that you denied her.'
Candelario, who has struggled with depression and related mental health issues, said she has prayed daily for forgiveness.
'There's so much pain that I have in regards to the loss of my baby, Jailyn,' she said. 'I'm extremely hurt about everything that happened. I am not trying to justify my actions, but nobody knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through … God and my daughter have forgiven me.'
A post-mortem examination by the Cuyahoga County medical examiner's office determined that the toddler died of starvation and severe dehydration.
County Common Pleas Court Judge Brendan Sheehan told Candelario she committed 'the ultimate betrayal' by leaving her daughter alone without food.
In one image shared three days into her daughter's 10-day fatal abandonment, she is seen smiling on a white sandy beach in sunglasses and a white shirt, which she captioned: 'The time that is enjoyed is the true time lived.'
In another picture taken from her cold-blooded holiday, Candelario donned jean shorts and a 'Mandalorian' Star Wars t-shirt as she appeared to visit a Star Wars theme park.
She beamed from ear to ear in the image, despite the horror she later admitted to leaving behind in her home in Cleveland, Ohio.
Prosecutors said
