California mom whose child died while she was getting lip filler faces 15 years in prison

"A Central California mother whose baby died inside her vehicle amid 100-plus-degree heat while she was having lip filler injections at a nearby spa has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Maya Hernandez, 20, of Visalia is expected to be sentenced to 15 years in prison at a March 5 hearing in Kern County Superior Court in Bakersfield. Hernandez pleaded no contest to charges that included a pair of enhancements for great bodily harm to a victim younger than 5"

"Prosecutors said that at 2 p.m. on June 29, a sweltering summer day in Bakersfield, Hernandez left her 1-year-old and 2-year-old children inside her Toyota Corolla hybrid in a parking lot. Hernandez told police that she left the car engine on and the air conditioning running in the vehicle. The car, however, has a feature that automatically turns off the engine after one hour of idling. Bakersfield police believe the car shut off sometime around 3 p.m. with outside temperatures hovering around 101 degrees."

"The conviction last week closes a case that dates to December, when Hernandez was found guilty of two counts of child abuse likely to produce great bodily harm or death. Then, the presiding judge declared a mistrial on additional counts of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter as the jury did not produce a unanimous decision. The prosecution and defense teams settled on the no contest plea in exchange for dropping the murder count."

Maya Hernandez, 20, left her 1-year-old and 2-year-old children inside her Toyota Corolla hybrid in a Bakersfield parking lot on June 29, a sweltering day with outside temperatures around 101 degrees. She told police she left the engine and air conditioning running, but the vehicle’s idle-shutoff feature likely turned the engine off after about an hour. The infant subsequently died inside the car. Hernandez was found guilty earlier of two counts of child abuse likely to produce great bodily harm or death; additional murder and manslaughter counts resulted in a mistrial. She pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and faces a 15-year prison sentence.

Read at Los Angeles Times