Samantha Valentine accepts her guilt for the attempted murder of her 10-month-old baby boy in Albany County Court on April 25, 2023; she appears in an inset photo ID from October 2021. (WRGB screenshot; Watervliet Police Department)
An upstate New York woman was sentenced to seven years in prison for the attempted murder of her infant son on Tuesday morning.
‘I accept what I did,’ Samantha Valentine, 31, told an Albany County judge – seizing a speech and pleading guilty to a series of attacks on the helpless child in October 2021.
The accused was charged with three counts of attempted second degree murder, second degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child after she was filmed attacking her 10-year-old child months for four days – and nearly killed him. .
“First of all, the assaults were videotaped from the baby cam that was in the child’s room,” Watervliet Police Chief Joseph Centanni told Law&Crime at the time. his arrest. “Secondly, the assaults took place over a period of four days and were horrific. Third, the house was condemned for unsanitary and unsanitary conditions.
Centanni also told Law&Crime that Valentine was previously arrested “for selling sick kittens who died shortly after delivery.”
In the footage, Valentine can be seen throwing the boy face down on the ground, authorities say in court documents obtained by Albany-based ABC affiliate WTEN. The child’s head and face were injured when he hit the ground causing internal bleeding, police wrote.
“As he stood in his room, [Valentine] threw him violently on the ground, provoking [redacted] to hit their heads and faces,” the court document reads. “This action caused [redacted] receive a subdural hemorrhage.
The first officer to arrive found the child “lying on [his] back in obvious medical distress,” according to a press release.
This officer performed first aid until paramedics arrived and the boy was rehabilitated at a nearby hospital. Due to the severity, nature and duration of the abuse, the WPD called the child a “miracle”.
More Law&Crime coverage: ‘Things like this never happened’: Police say New York mum charged with attempted murder for ‘violently throwing away’ baby was also arrested for selling ‘sick kittens’
The judge also issued a protective order for the abused child, barring his mother from contact with him until 2040.
Valentine was also sentenced to three years of probation.
Her lawyer attributed some of Valentine’s actions to diabetes and mental health issues.
“It was tough, but she was remarkably resilient in getting the help we thought she needed,” Rebekah Sokol, Valentine’s defense attorney, told local CBS affiliate WRGB. . “The court did not impose anger management classes or parenting classes. These are things that she and I decided would benefit her on her own.
Valentine was initially held without bond over the allegations. She was eventually released on bail and was due to be sentenced last Friday after missing at least one prior court date, according to local NBC affiliate WNYT.
At the end of last week, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the accused, and she appeared in court.
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