Former day care owner gets 3.5 years in prison for death of child

A former day care worker has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection to the death of a child in her care.

News 12 Staff

Feb 27, 2019, 5:58 PM

Updated 2,105 days ago

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Former day care owner gets 3.5 years in prison for death of child
A former day care owner in Stamford has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison in connection to the death of a child in her care.
Nydia Carrillo-Maldonado was sentenced in Stamford court Wednesday. She previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter and risk of injury to a child.
Bella Redondo was dropped off in good health at Little Bears Beginnings Daycare in Stamford in July 2016, but that afternoon Carillo-Maldonado called 911 to report the baby was having trouble breathing.
Redondo later died at the hospital from blunt force trauma to the head. An autopsy revealed she had two skull fractures.
State's Attorney Richard Colangelo read a statement on Bella's mother's behalf in court, which said Carrillo-Maldonado called her three times before dialing 911. That later call for help came three hours after Bella first experienced problems.
"I will never forget the calls you made to me that day. I heard her screams in the background. That was the last thing I heard from my Bella. I will never hear her call me mommy, but I heard her cry in pain while you sat there for hours without doing anything to help her," said Colangelo, on the mother's behalf.
Redondo's parents were in the courtroom Wednesday, though they almost did not come because they felt the sentence was too short. They hoped they would at least hear Carrillo-Maldonado apologize, but she did not address the courtroom.
The parents' attorney told News 12 his clients hope Carrillo-Maldonado serves every day of the sentence.
"They're appalled that there was no contrition, no remorse, no 'I'm sorry,'" says attorney Mark Sherman. "They're grateful to the police, state's attorney, for working on this case for three years. It was a challenging case because there was no acceptance of responsibility by the defendant."
Carrillo-Maldonado pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine, which means she does not agree with the facts of the case, but admits there's enough evidence to convict her. She has never said exactly what happened to Bella.
During sentencing, the judge pointed out there was no evidence the defendant intentionally hurt the child, but that her recklessness led to her death.