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Woman faces 17 years in prison in connection to 3-month-old son's death

Posted at 6:54 AM, Sep 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-03 08:57:58-04

GOLDEN, Colo. — A 23-year-old woman was sentenced to 17 years in prison after her 3-month-old son died.

Bethany Joy Smith was sentenced to prison for 17 years in connection to the death of her 3-month-old son in May 2016.

Following her sentence, she will have a mandatory five-year parole period, according to the Jefferson and Gilpin Counties District Attorney’s Office.

She pled guilty to negligent child abuse causing death and first-degree assault on June 29, 2018.

On May 20, 2016, first responders went to Smith’s home on Lookout Mountain Circle in Golden after receiving a 911 call about a baby not breathing. They found the 3-month-old unresponsive and despite life-saving measures at the scene and hospital, the young boy died, according to the DA’s Office.

Authorities determined he had blunt force trauma to his head, a fractured arm and a fractured rib.

"After an autopsy was performed, it was determined that the baby died from injuries consistent with abuse," said the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in a statement sent to Denver7 in June 2016.

After interviewing both parents, deputies arrested Smith, who was 21 years old at the time.

“This is a tragedy for everyone involved,” said DA Pete Weir, “It is unconscionable for anyone to inflict such devastating injuries on an infant. When a mother kills her child, prison is only a small measure of justice.”