Weekends in prison? Killpack sentencing today

PROVO — The defense attorney for Jennete Killpack says the Springville woman does not belong in prison and has requested a sentence that would allow the mother to stay home with her children.

Killpack, 30, was found guilty of child abuse homicide in connection with the death of her 4-year-old adopted daughter, Cassandra. The Oct. 11 verdict followed a trial that lasted 3 1/2 weeks and saw Killpack's husband, Richard, 37, acquitted of the crime. A jury deliberated for nearly six hours before issuing the split-verdict decision that stunned attorneys on both sides.

Defense attorney Mike Esplin said he doesn't know what to expect today when 4th District Judge Claudia Laycock issues Killpack's sentence. The second-degree felony carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years and as much as a $10,000 fine.

Esplin said he has asked for a lenient sentence that would allow Killpack to stay at home with her four children while her husband is at work and serve her prison sentence on nights and weekends.

"We're requesting a sentence that allows her to be with her family," the attorney said. "I don't see what purpose her going to prison would serve. She has a young baby, she has other young children. Even if you don't consider the impact on her, consider the hardship on her family. I think that's a substantial mitigating factor."

Calls to Utah County prosecutors David Sturgill and Sherry Ragan for comment were not returned.

Deseret Morning News graphicKillpack case timelineRequires Adobe Acrobat.

During the trial, prosecutors said Killpack put Cassandra on a bar stool the night of June 9, 2002, tied the girl's hands behind her back and forced her to drink about a gallon of water as punishment for taking a sibling's drink. The punishment led to the girl's death by water intoxication — a condition that causes the brain to swell and the body's sodium level to drop to a fatal level, prosecutors said.

The Killpacks said they only gave the girl about 20 ounces of water and that they do not know how she died. They also said they employed the water-drinking method of discipline at the suggestion of a therapist at the now-defunct Cascade Center for Family Growth.

The couple said they began taking Cassandra to the center to treat her for reactive attachment disorder, a mental illness that can affect adopted children and manifests itself through outbreaks of wild, defiant behavior.

"It was not an intentional act," Esplin said. "She has no prior record, and I don't think prison is the place for her. Of course, I don't make that decision."

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