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Mom Accused Of Disabled Son's Manslaughter Gets Sentenced To Time Served

VICTORVILLE (AP) —  A mother accused of neglecting and starving her disabled son pleaded guilty Friday to involuntary manslaughter in the boy's death and will be sentenced to time already served, the Victorville Daily Press reported.

Rosondra Marie Clay, 30, accepted an offer to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 5-year-old Kevin Baldwin and Superior Court Judge Jules Fleuret accepted the plea deal Friday, the newspaper reported.

Clay has already served ten months in jail and will be released April 29 when she is sentenced to eleven months' time served.

Baldwin had cerebral palsy and weighed just 15 pounds when he died from severe malnutrition at the age of 5 in July 2008.

"It's one of those cases, there was strong evidence she wasn't guilty of anything," Deputy Public Defender David Sanders, Clay's attorney told the newspaper. "At the same time, it's one of those cases if you had gone to trial, because it's an emotional case, a jury could have found her guilty of second-degree murder."

Clay had been charged with murder and could have faced up to 25 years to life in prison, if convicted.

Sanders said Child Protective Services agents visited their house three days before the child's death and found nothing wrong with him.

Baldwin had severe spastic cerebral palsy and he had no muscular control, Sanders told the newspaper. It was difficult to feed the child because he had no control over his tongue, Sanders said.

Because of Baldwin's medical condition, he was receiving assistance from various county agencies.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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