Aunt Charged in Killing of Child
A woman who allegedly admitted beating her 2-year-old niece in a fit of anger, then setting fire to her bed as she lay dying, was charged Thursday with one count each of murder and arson.
Sandra Jackson, 29, of Long Beach, does not face a possible death sentence if convicted because the district attorney’s office filed no special circumstance allegations against her. Jackson, held in lieu of $200,000 bail, will be arraigned Tuesday.
Long Beach police said Jackson, the victim’s legal guardian, admitted beating her niece, Jessica Jackson, Monday afternoon after losing her temper. Jackson told officers she then placed the child on a bed, set fire to a stuffed animal and shoved it under the bed.
Jackson, the mother of two young sons, allegedly tried to burn her niece to cover up her physical abuse of the girl, police said. Detectives are investigating whether Jackson has abused her two sons, who are in a foster home.
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