TOPEKA, Kansas — A Kansas mother whose 2-year-old son shot and killed his 4-year-old sister has been sentenced to life in prison.
Mariann Belair, 24, will not be eligible for parole until she serves 25 years under the sentence imposed Tuesday in Shawnee County Superior Court, The Topeka Capital-Journal reportedIn May, she was found guilty by a jury of aggravated child abuse and first-degree murder in the commission of a felony.
Belair testified at her trial that in October, she took a loaded 9mm handgun from her diaper bag and placed it on the couch next to her while she was at home with her 4-year-old daughter, Lawrencia Perez-Belair, and her 2-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.
She said she was planning to go get food with her family and made sure she had everything she needed in her bag. She said Lawrencia then “distracted” her by asking her to take a picture of them together with her cell phone.
Assistant District Attorney Lauren Amrein told the jury the gun was on the couch for at least 12 minutes before Belair’s son, who was about to turn 3, picked it up and shot his sister. She said no reasonable person would leave the gun there that long with small children around.
Court records show that Belair complained in a handwritten motion that her attorney prevented her from entering a plea that would have sentenced her to 10 years and 3 months in prison.
A new attorney assigned to the case has requested a new trial.