Golden Woman Gets 17 Years For Killing Her Infant

GOLDEN, CO – A 23-year-old Golden woman who pleaded guilty to beating her infant son to death in 2016 was sentenced to prison in Jefferson County.

Bethany Joy Smith was sentenced Thursday by District Court Judge Tammy Russell to 17 years in prison for the death of 3-month-old Skyler in 2016. She will also serve a mandatory five-year parole term at the end of her sentence. Smith pleaded guilty to child abuse causing death and first-degree assault in June, the First Judicial District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Smith was 21 on May 20, 2016 when emergency responders arrived at her home on Lookout Mountain Circle and found Skyler unresponsive. Rescuers tried to revive the infant but were unable to. An autopsy found that Styler died from blunt force trauma, which was later determined to be abusive head trauma, the district attorney's office said. The baby also had a fractured arm and a fractured rib. Deputies interviewed both parents before arresting Smith, the Denver Post reported.

“This is a tragedy for everyone involved,” said Jefferson County District Attorney Pete Weir, in a statement Friday. “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.”

Image via Jefferson County District Attorney's Office

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