A California mother has been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for killing her 4-year-old daughter after using the child in a bitter conflict with the girl's father, according to prosecutors and court records.
Los Angeles County prosecutors said 40-year-old Maria Del Refugio Avalos was sentenced this month after a downtown Los Angeles jury convicted her in March of one count of second-degree murder and one count of assault on a child causing death in connection with the killing of her daughter, Mia Gonzalez.
The sentence is the maximum term allowed under California law for the charges, meaning Avalos must serve at least 25 years before she can be considered for parole, according to People.
Woman Sentenced for Killing 4-Year-Old Daughter
Authorities said the case began in January 2024, when deputies responding to a welfare check in East Los Angeles found 4-year-old Mia unresponsive inside a parked vehicle where her mother was also present.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts by paramedics to resuscitate her. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, Mia died from the combined effects of strangulation and a sharp-force injury to her wrist.
Investigators determined that the injuries were consistent with an assault and ruled the death a homicide, leading to Avalos' arrest at the scene on suspicion of murder. She has remained behind bars since then, held without the possibility of posting bail while the case moved through the courts.
Prosecutors later filed formal charges of second-degree murder and assault on a child causing death, both felonies under California law.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Avalos used Mia as a "pawn" amid a deteriorating relationship and ongoing dispute with the child's father, ABC7 reported.
Court records and statements from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office indicate Avalos felt angry and let down by the father and directed that anger toward her daughter in the period before the killing.
Jurors were told that her actions showed a conscious disregard for human life, satisfying the legal standard for second-degree murder.
The jury informed the judge it was deadlocked on a special allegation that the killing was willful, deliberate, and premeditated, which would have supported a first-degree murder conviction.
After prosecutors agreed to withdraw that special finding, the panel quickly returned guilty verdicts on the lesser charge of second-degree murder and on assault on a child causing death.
Avalos was sentenced in early May in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, where a judge imposed the life term with a minimum of 25 years in state prison, as per MyNewsLA.
