The State : Child Torturer Sent to CYA

A 14-year-old Oroville girl was sentenced to life imprisonment for her part in the beating, burning and torture of a 2 1/2-year-old girl. However Butte County Superior Court Judge Steven McNelis remanded the girl to the custody of the California Youth Authority, which cannot hold her beyond the age of 25. McNelis said the amount of time she actually serves will depend on her behavior. Sentencing of the girl, whose name was withheld because of her age, followed her conviction in Juvenile Court. Also facing prosecution in the case is Tonia Smith, 18, of Oroville. Smith and the 14-year-old were charged with enticing little Ashney Remick to an Oroville motel room where the child was detained and tortured before being thrown out a window. The child survived the torture after surgery for skin grafts. She reportedly still suffers nightmares. Smith faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.