An Iowa home day care provider was sentenced to 100 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to killing a three-year-old little girl left in her care.
Rochelle Sapp, now 34, was initially charged with child endangerment resulting in serious injury and willful injury to a child. Prosecutors said three-year-old Autumn Elgersma was hospitalized with head injuries October 29, 2013; and that those injuries were inflicted by Sapp after the little girl would not take off her coat.
Autumn died two days later.
The initial charges against Sapp were dropped in November 2013, and new charges of child endangerment resulting in death and first-degree murder were filed in early December.
Court records showed Sapp struck a plea agreement with the state, and the plea and sentencing were set for a court date Thursday morning, October 16, 2014. Sapp pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter as well as to child endangerment resulting in death and to child endangerment with multiple acts.
When she entered her plea, Sapp was immediately sentenced to 100 years in prison according to the Sioux City Journal. Sapp was also ordered to pay $150,000 to the victim’s family according to ABC affiliate KCAU-TV.