AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Wiscasset woman accused of fatally beating a 4-year-old girl in her care is set to receive her sentence.
The sentencing of 44-year-old Shawna Gatto is scheduled Tuesday morning. Gatto faces 25 years to life in prison.
Superior Court Justice William Stokes in April found Gatto guilty of depraved indifference murder in the death of Kendall Chick in her home in December 2017.
The case has led to child welfare reforms.
Witnesses testified the youngster’s body was covered with bruises and one of her eyes was swollen shut when responders discovered her lifeless body. An autopsy showed Kendall had more than a dozen injuries consistent with severe child abuse.
A state caseworker visited the home once over the three years the girl lived with her grandfather and Gatto, his fiancé.
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