An Aurora mother whose two children were killed by a house fire after she left them alone for hours was sentenced Thursday to 27 years in prison.
As part of a plea agreement, Danielle Lynn Brockman, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless child abuse resulting in death, according to court records.
Brockman left her two children, , 3, and , 15 months, alone in her Aurora home while she went to a party and a bar with friends Oct. 30, 2011.
She left the home about 9:30 p.m. and did not return until about 5 a.m. Brockman took a cab home and could see one block away.
Brockman tried four times to get to her children, but the smoke was too thick.
Timothy was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. His little sister died a few days later at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. According to autopsies, both children died of asphyxia.
Investigators say the fire was likely caused by an unattended burner on the kitchen stove.
Just weeks before the children’s deaths, Aurora police informed child-protection workers that a neighbor found Timothy wandering alone outside at midnight. Contacted by a police officer, Brockman “seemed unconcerned.”
