A 23-year-old Golden woman has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for the death of her infant child.
Bethany Joy Smith will also serve a mandatory five-year parole on completion of her prison sentence, according to the Jefferson County district attorney’s office.
Golden woman sentenced to 17 years in prison for the death of her three-month-old son, Skyler, in May, 2016. Bethany Smith pled guilty to Child Abuse Death (F3) and Assault 1 (F3) in June, 2018
— DA Peter A. Weir (@DA1Colorado)
On June 29, Smith pleaded guilty to negligent child abuse causing death and first-degree assault.
On May 20, 2016, first responders were called to Smith’s home, 34 Lookout Mountain Circle, where they found Skylar, a 3-month-old boy, unresponsive. Life-saving measures were performed at the home and at a hospital. Skylar could not be revived.
The baby died from blunt-force head trauma. He had also suffered a broken arm and broken rib.
“This is a tragedy for everyone involved,” said District Attorney 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.”
