Jury deliberates fate of mother who smothered her baby

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A Galveston mother of four children could learn today whether she's headed to prison.

She's accused of smothering one of her children to death

The week- long trial  is expected to come to an end today, on this first day of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The woman was 23 years old back in September of 2014.

Prosecutors say the mother lost control while caring for her four children and then did the unthinkable to her 15-month-old daughter. She's accused of using a child's pajama pants to smother her.

It happened at the family's apartment on the seawall in Galveston.

Prosecutors say she tied the pants around her toddler's face bedroom.

She was discovered not breathing and the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

“The case we put together was that she was alone with the four children.

She had broken up with the father of the children.

She was frustrated and that the child would not stop crying. So she basically lost control and tried to silence the child by tying the pants around her face.  She did this in front of one of the other children."

That other child has become a key witness in the trial.

 The jury got the case yesterday and could return a verdict today.

There are many ways to build awareness about child abuse. April 8th is wear blue day. that's the color associated with  prevention.

Also, you can go to child advocates.org to find out how to become a court appointed advocate for children here in our area.

And if you are a parent in need of help, learntoparent.org is the web site for Escape Family Resource Center. That's a local organization that offers classes on how to properly handle an upset child and recognize signs of abuse.