MONTEREY PARK : Mother Gets 26 Years to Life for Killing 2 Sons
A Monterey Park woman has been sentenced to state prison for 26 years to life after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of her two sons, who were 6 and 2 years old.
Diana Covarrubias, 27, entered the guilty plea in Pasadena Superior Court last Friday. She faced trial for the death of her sons Steven Killeen, 6, and Jeffrey Hernandez, 2. They were found dead Sept. 22, lying in bed beside their mother, who had stabbed herself and taken an overdose of a painkiller.
Covarrubias was apparently distraught over financial problems and her failed romance with the father of her younger son.
She could have been sentenced to two consecutive 26-year terms. But Pasadena Superior Court Judge Janice Croft, taking into consideration Covarrubias’ depression and her history of suffering child abuse, ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
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