WESTMINSTER, Calif. (AP) - Prosecutors say a Garden Grove mother
has been convicted of letting her 2-month-old baby suffocate after
she went on a drinking binge.
Orange County prosecutor spokeswoman Farrah Emami says 27-year-old Corrina Atuatasi pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter and child abuse.
Prosecutors say Atuatasi left her baby at home to join a neighbor for drinks for several hours on Oct. 30. The baby was found dead, face-down in a pile of clothing the next morning.
Emami says Atuatasi would have faced a maximum sentence of 12
years in prison but made a deal with the court over the prosecution's protest.
Atuatasi will serve one year in jail, six months of live-in alcohol treatment and one year of self-help programs.
Atuatasi faces formal sentencing Nov. 27.
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