Life for Texas Mom Who Strangled Newborn
Published : Friday, 13 May 2011, 1:59 PM CDT
FOX 4 News










HOUSTON - A 27-year-old mother who strangled her newborn daughter with a pair of panties minutes after giving birth in a bathroom has been sentenced to life in prison.

Claudia Cortes was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of murder in the 2007 death of her child. She will be eligible for parole in 30 years.

Through a translator, the woman asked state District Judge Michael McSpadden to forgive her and spare her the life sentence. McSpadden said he saw no mitigating circumstances that could reduce the sentence.
The Houston Chronicle reports that defense attorney Ken Goode told the judge that "something snapped" and his client wasn't thinking clearly.



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