ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The woman who hid the body of her 10-year-old son in a garbage can in Rock Island is asking a judge to reconsider her sentence.
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, Sushi Staples submitted a motion to withdraw her guilty plea. Staples pled guilty to endangering the life of a child on Jan. 4. In exchange, prosecutors dropped three additional charges that had been filed against her, including obstruction of justice, failure to report the death of a child and concealment of a death. She was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for the time she already served in jail.
In her motion to seek the withdrawal of her plea, Staples alleged she received ineffective counsel. She also justified her request for a new sentence by noting her status as a first-time felon and arguing that probation would allow her to continue seeking mental health services without being confined to a prison or mental health facility. Staples further wrote that the new sentence would allow her to be reunited with her children.
Sushi Staples Case background
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, around 9:30 a.m., Rock Island Police began an investigation into a suspicious death in the 1700 block of 20 1/2 Avenue.
Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson confirmed the victim was identified as Zion Staples, a 10-year-old boy from Rock Island.
News 8 spoke with a neighbor in July 2023, who couldn't believe this happened across the street from her.
"I've lost sleep over it and I've prayed a lot," the neighbor who wished to go by Deb said. "I have to believe that she has done some extra measures to cover up that smell, otherwise nobody could have stood that, nobody."
An autopsy was performed on Friday, July 28, in Rockford. According to Gustafson, the preliminary results showed the death was "considered suspicious and not natural."
An autopsy revealed that the boy died from a gunshot wound, likely in December 2022. The body was discovered on July 26, 2023.
On July 26, Sushi M. Staples, then 37, was taken into custody and charged with concealment of a death, obstruction of justice and failure to report the death of a child.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel