Sentencing today for mother convicted in her 4-year-old daughter's death

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Sentencing begins today for the woman convicted of murder and injury to a child by omission in the death of her four-year-old daughter.

Macial Sandoval was found guilty of allowing her daughter, Betsabeth, to die from abuse and neglect. The little girl was found unconscious last June. Her body had deep cuts, bruises and fractures.

Sandoval faces up to life in prison. Her partner will also go to trial for the child's death.

Emotions high last week

Last week was an emotional roller coaster inside the courtroom. The defense for Sandoval said someone else is to blame. She sat quietly as closing arguments painted vastly different pictures of her role as mother t Betsabeth.

Horacio Ramos is Betsabeth's father.

"Real sad, angry at the same time because I'm still wondering what the jury would do," Ramos said.

On Friday the focus was on Betsabeth's mother. Prosecutors say the little girl was found with numerous bruises, contusions, and other injuries in June 2011.

During her closing arguments on Friday, assistant district attorney Connie Spence told jurors, "Having a child, being a mother, is not a right, it is a privilege granted by God."

Ramos listened to the argument with tears in his eyes.

"Even though it's not going to bring my daughter's life back, I still want them to get the punishment they deserve," said Ramos.

But defense attorneys put the blame on Sandoval's partner, who they say was at home taking care of Betsabeth while Sandoval was away at work.

"She trusted the homemaker to take care of the home. Don't punish someone for being in love," said defense attorneys.

But Ramos says little Betsabeth deserves justice.

"People like that, I don't think they have a heart, to do something like that to their own child," he said.

The defense did not call any witnesses.

In closing arguments, the prosecution stated, "We knew this was going on before June 3rd. The medical examiner said this was going on way before June 3rd."

The defense says Sandoval was simply not aware of what was going on in the home, saying, "The child became increasingly difficult. She didn't know what the cause was."

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Elderly husband of babysitter accused of molesting 4-year-old girl

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A 72-year-old man is now facing charges, accused of repeatedly sexually molesting a 4-year-old girl.

Carlos Ruiz is charged with indecency with a child. Police say Ruiz's wife and daughter had been babysitting the little girl for months. They say during that time, Ruiz, whom the little girl called "El Viejito," fondled her.

The child later told her grandmother about what was happening, and she called police.

Ruiz has not yet been arrested.

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Jury finds mother guilty of felony murder and injury by omission in death of 4-year-old girl

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Harris County jury has found a mother guilty of felony murder and injury by omission in the death of her 4-year-old girl.

The punishment phase will begin on Monday. Macial Sandoval will face up anywhere from five years to 99 years in prison for the death of her daughter, Betsabeth.

All this week, it's been an emotional roller coaster inside the courtroom. The defense for Sandoval says someone else is to blame. She sat quietly as closing arguments painted vastly different pictures of her role as mother to little Betsabeth Sandoval. The 4-year-old died last June.

Horacio Ramos is Betsabeth's father.

"Real sad, angry at the same time because I'm still wondering what the jury would do," Ramos said.

On Friday the focus was on Betsabeth's mother. Prosecutors say the little girl was found with numerous bruises, contusions, and other injuries in June 2011.

During her closing arguments on Friday, assistant district attorney Connie Spence told jurors, "Having a child, being a mother, is not a right, it is a privilege granted by God."

Ramos listened to the argument with tears in his eyes.

"Even though it's not going to bring my daughter's life back, I still want them to get the punishment they deserve," said Ramos.

But defense attorneys put the blame on Sandoval's partner, who they say was at home taking care of Betsabeth while Sandoval was away at work.

"She trusted the homemaker to take care of the home. Don't punish someone for being in love," said defense attorneys.

But Ramos says little Betsabeth deserves justice.

"People like that, I don't think they have a heart, to do something like that to their own child," he said.

The defense did not call any witnesses.

In closing arguments, the prosecution stated, "We knew this was going on before June 3rd. The medical examiner said this was going on way before June 3rd."

The defense says Sandoval was simply not aware of what was going on in the home, saying, "The child became increasingly difficult. She didn't know what the cause was."

Sandoval's partner is facing the same charges, and will face trial at a later date.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this story.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Mother on trial for death of 4-year-old girl

  By Pooja LodhiaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- Disturbing testimony and graphic pictures took center stage Thursday in the trial of a mother accused of allowing her young daughter to die from abuse and neglect.

Little Betsabeth Sandoval was just four years old when police found her unconscious last June, her body showing deep cuts, bruises and fractures. On Thursday her mother was forced to hear prosecutors describe how her child died while they say she did nothing about it.

In a dramatic demonstration, the prosecutor wrapped a t-shirt around a stick and showed the court how she says four-year-old Betsabeth died. The girl's mother, Maciel Sandoval, sat in the courtroom in tears as prosecutors showed photos of the injuries.

The assistant medical examiner testified, "It's not just a bruise on the outside of the skin. It's substantial damage in the connected tissues underneath the skin. For that reason it's not consistent with a simple fall from a standing position."

Police say they found the little girl unconscious and hurt at her home last June.

Police say Sandoval denied responsibility saying, "Defendant Sandoval stated that the complainant was very accident prone, fell often, and was also a very angry four-year-old."

Both Sandoval and her partner have been charged with injury to a child by omission. Prosecutors haven't accused either woman of actually attacking the child.

"They don't want to have to prove who did it because they're both going to point the fingers at each other and say you did it or somebody else did it," KTRK legal analyst Joel Androphy explained. "To avoid the finder pointing, they say, basically, we don't care who did it. You had a responsibility and duty under law to protect that child and you didn't."

Androphy says the penalty is the same for physically abusing your child and allowing abuse to happen.

"The law doesn't differentiate because you have a vulnerable young child," he said. "This is a very difficult case, one of the most difficult cases to try."

The defense rested without calling any witnesses. Closing arguments are expected to be heard Friday morning. If the mother is found guilty, she could face up to 99 years in prison.

After this trial, Sandoval's partner is expected to go to trial.

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Mom of 4-year-old allegedly murdered by her boyfriend: He was my life

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The man wanted in the death of a Houston four-year-old is in custody, and the boy's mother, who's also in jail for the death, is speaking exclusively to us.

After a tearful plea by the boy's father, Michael Allen Seaton's family in Milam County convinced him to turn himself in. Soon, he will be joining his girlfriend in the Harris County Jail.

Britni Glover is considered a high-security inmate at the Harris County Jail so she was in handcuffs when we spoke with her.

Glover says in the months that she was with Seaton, he never hit her. Instead, according to investigators, her four-year-old was the target.

Dustyn Roff got to see Santa this year, but not Christmas. His mother's will be spent behind bars. Glover is charged in connection to her son's murder. Still, she's grieving like any parent would.

"It's devastating. He's gone. He was my life. I feel completely lost," Glover said.

Glover talked to us from jail just a few hours after her boyfriend, Seaton, turned himself in. He's accused of abusing the four-year-old. Houston police say last Thursday, he was so mad that Glover came home from work late, that he beat the boy so badly he died.

Police say there were signs of repeated abuse on his body. Glover admits she had noticed bruises before but says when she questioned Seaton or her son, "there was always an excuse why he had this or that on him. He just fell when they were playing or accidents happen."

And she said she "never took him to the doctor."

Seaton fled Harris County but stayed in familiar territory, his hometown near Cameron, Texas. On Tuesday afternoon with no warning, he walked into the Milam County Jail and turned himself in.

Sheriff David Greene says for days, they had been putting pressure on Seaton's relatives to convince him to surrender.

"You never know in a situation like this, you worry about a deputy running up on him somewhere or just whatever. And for his safety and the officers' safety, I'm glad he did what he did," Greene said.

On Tuesday, we also learned CPS had two previous reports of abuse involving the mother and child but a spokeswoman says when they followed up, they could never find the two.

The manager of the apartment complex where they lived says several tenants had witnessed Seaton hitting Dustyn outside.

"It was three or four people said they actually saw him strike the child," said Candlewick Apartments manager Samuel Sanders said.

But Glover says those tenants never told her. She says she also wasn't aware of Seaton's previous conviction for abusing a two-year-old girl. He is now charged with capital murder, while she is in jail for not protecting her son and she accepts blame.

"I feel like it was my fault. I should have done something. He was my baby," Glover said.

Glover cried throughout our interview but she didn't appear to be angry with Seaton.

Police say Glover she watched as Seaton beat her child, but she didn't really answer when we asked her about the claim.

HPD homicide detectives arrived at the Milam County Jail around 5:15pm on Tuesday and they had planned on questioning Seaton before bringing him back to Harris County.

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