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Babysitter Pleads Not Guilty To Killing 4-Year-Old Girl

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A 53-year-old babysitter pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges in connection to the death of a 4-year-old girl.

Vanessa Denise Hawkins Scott was charged with one felony count each of murder, assault on a child causing death and child abuse. She is jailed on $1.1 million bail.

Hawkins Scott was taken into custody last Friday after she took the unresponsive girl to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The victim's cause of death is unknown.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 7.

If convicted, Hawkins Scott faces up to life in prison, according to the district attorney's office.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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