COLORADO SPRINGS — The mother of 4-year-old Acelynn Staton-Contreras was sentenced on Thursday, according to a tweet from the office of District Attorney Michael Allen.
Emma Staton, Acelynn's mother, was sentenced to the following:
- Child Abuse Resulting in Death, 27 years in state prison
- Possession of a Controlled Substance, 6 months in jail
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, $100 fine
Case Update: pic.twitter.com/H3qb2neWNz
— 4th Judicial DA (@4thJudicialDA) July 6, 2023
Staton plead guilty in an El Paso county courtroom as part of a deal with prosecutors in April of this year. She was arrested last summer on the aforementioned charges after the death of her daughter outside of a truck stop.
Staton left fentanyl pills on a bathroom windowsill within reach of her daughter, according to the affidavit.
Staton also administered Narcan more than once, was not truthful to responding officers after a 911 call, and put the child in a car to drive to a hospital rather than calling for an ambulance.
Staton later called 911 a second time from the parking lot of Love’s Truck Stop along I-25 in Fountain after her daughter stopped breathing. Her daughter was pronounced dead at the scene. The El Paso County Coroner’s Office determined the 4-year-old died of an overdose.
The judge ordered any statements given during sentencing to be addressed to the judge and not to Staton or anyone else in the courtroom. The judge ordered written statements to be delivered before the hearing.
If Staton had gone to trial on felony child abuse resulting in death charge, she faced from 16 to 48 years in prison, plus a potential fine from $5,000 to $1-million.
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