Kearns woman who beat boyfriend's daughter to death sent to prison

Clinton Hart was also initially charged with murder, but pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide and three counts of child abuse, second-degree felonies, and was sentenced to four concurrent sentences of one to 15 years in prison. 

The reduced charge came after attorneys agreed that while Hart may have known the abuse, he wasn't home when the fatal injuries were inflicted. Still, prosecutor Rob Parrish said the case is an example of how "some people should never be around children." He pointed to the lack of parenting skills Clinton Hart and Navarro had. 

"(Vanessa) should be a happy, vibrant child of 6," he said. "That's the real tragedy." 

E-mail: emorgan@desnews.com, Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam