Current:Home > InvestNew Mexico day care workers’ convictions reversed in 2017 death of toddler inside hot car-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
New Mexico day care workers’ convictions reversed in 2017 death of toddler inside hot car
View Date:2024-12-24 07:37:28
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday granted a new trial for two day care workers in the 2017 death of a 1-year-old girl left in a hot car and the serious injury of another toddler.
The high court said in a news release that it reversed the child abuse convictions of Mary Taylor and her adult daughter Sandi Taylor after it found that the jury was given a set of confusing instructions at their joint trial in 2019.
Attorneys listed in court records for the mother and daughter did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
The Taylors, both of Portales, New Mexico, operated a licensed day care center in their home. Each was sentenced to 36 years in prison for reckless child abuse but were released from custody in 2020 as they appealed their convictions.
In July 2017, the Taylors drove a group of children to a nearby park for lunch and playtime. Two of the children, both girls younger than 2, were left in the hot car for nearly three hours, authorities said.
The high temperature in Clovis near Portales was 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) that day.
One of the girls died the same day at a hospital. The other survived but was expected to face lifelong physical challenges.
At trial, according to the high court’s decision, the jury had been provided with an “and/or” list of factors to consider, including whether the day care workers had failed to do a proper headcount, whether they drove the children without prior permission from the state’s child protective services agency, “and/or” whether they failed to remove the girls from the car.
The high court said the list, in that format, “provided for alternative ways for the jury to find that the defendants committed child abuse” without requiring the jury to unanimously agree on the conduct that led to a guilty verdict.
veryGood! (336)
Related
- Contained, extinguished and mopping up: Here’s what some common wildfire terms mean
- How a love of sci-fi drives Elon Musk and an idea of 'extreme capitalism'
- Biden administration to let Afghan evacuees renew temporary legal status amid inaction in Congress
- Spotlight On Wander Beauty: Why Women Everywhere Love the Female-Founded Beauty Line
- Rafael dissolves into a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico after hitting Cuba as a hurricane
- See Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson's Beautiful One Direction Reunion
- Sperm donor father of at least 550 kids banned from donating any more sperm
- Why Tyra Banks Is Leaving Dancing With the Stars After Hosting 3 Seasons
- Colorado police shot, kill mountain lion after animal roamed on school's campus
- As battle for Sudan rages on, civilian deaths top 500
Ranking
- DWTS' Sasha Farber Claps Back at Diss From Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader
- Why the Ingredients of Ice-T and Coco Austin's Love Story Make for the Perfect Blend
- Here's why tech giants want the Supreme Court to freeze Texas' social media law
- That smiling LinkedIn profile face might be a computer-generated fake
- Paraguay vs. Argentina live updates: Watch Messi play World Cup qualifying match tonight
- Sports betting ads are everywhere. Some worry gamblers will pay a steep price
- How can our relationships with computers be funnier and friendlier?
- DeLorean is back (to the future) with an electric car, and some caveats
Recommendation
-
Kevin Costner says he hasn't watched John Dutton's fate on 'Yellowstone': 'Swear to God'
-
Vanderpump Rules' Ariana Madix Breaks Silence on Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Scandal
-
Will Elon Musk turn activist at Twitter?
-
Uber will list all New York City taxis on its app, giving customers more choices
-
24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
-
On Chernobyl anniversary, Zelenskyy slams Russia for using nuclear power plants to blackmail Ukraine and the world
-
Tech's crackdown on Russian propaganda is a geopolitical high-wire act
-
Telegram is the app of choice in the war in Ukraine despite experts' privacy concerns