Vista
A Vista woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter in the death of her 17-month-old son from severe head injuries that may have been caused by shaking the child.
Cherie Mildred Adams, 34, changed her plea before Superior Court Judge Jesus Rodriguez, who scheduled a June 4 sentencing hearing.
Adams, who is in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail, could be sentenced to up to 11 years in state prison.
Bryan Preston Adams, who had Down’s syndrome, died Nov. 27. An autopsy showed that the boy, who had been adopted by Adams and her husband, died from “blunt force trauma.”
According to testimony at Adams’ preliminary hearing in January, investigators searched the Adams’ condominium on Lupine Hills Drive after the boy’s death and found a paddle with the words “Bryan’s Attitude Adjuster.”
Testimony from pathologists indicated that the boy’s injuries could not have been the result of a fall, as Adams previously claimed.
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