Baby-Sitter, 13, Sentenced for Killing 2 Children

A 13-year-old girl with a fascination with the macabre was sentenced to as many as 14 years in custody Friday for smothering two children in her care.

Victoria Dalton was convicted last week of murdering 2-year-old Renee Gutierrez and her 5-month-old brother, Timothy, in January.

The girl, 12 at the time of the crime, wept upon hearing her punishment. The jury could have sentenced her to 40 years behind bars.

She was sent to a juvenile center. When she turns 18, she will get a hearing to determine whether she has been rehabilitated.

If so, she will be released. If not, she will be sent to adult prison to serve all or part of the remainder of the 14-year sentence.

Victoria’s family and that of the murdered children lived together in a small, two-bedroom apartment, with as many as 14 other people at times. She often was left in charge of the younger children.

The girl told police that Rene Gutierrez’s death was an accident--that she put her hand over the child’s mouth and nose for five to 10 minutes because the girl was fussy, prosecutors said.

They gave no motive for the other slaying but said Victoria was fascinated with horror. “She loves anything that stands for Halloween--darkness, masks, scaring little children,” prosecutor Juanita Vasquez-Gardner said.