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Colorado mother pleads guilty in death of son in fire

Craig fire kills 3-year-old
Posted at 5:46 PM, Nov 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-29 08:54:49-05

CRAIG, Colo. (AP) — A northwest Colorado woman has pleaded guilty in the death of her 3-year-old son in a house fire on Christmas Eve.

READ MORE: Toddler dies in Christmas Eve house fire in Craig

Prosecutors said that Vanessa Jenkins pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide on Tuesday in the 2018 fire that killed Lane Cullen in Craig. They alleged that she negligently and unreasonably put her son in a situation that resulted in his death.

An affidavit supporting Jenkins's arrest said police found a melted cigarette lighter near the spot where the boy's body was found.

READ MORE: Boy killed in Christmas Eve fire in Craig likely sparked it, police say

Jenkins is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 10, 2020.