A Virginia resident has received her sentence for her involvement in the tragic and violent death of her toddler.

Amanda Brittani Mitchell, aged 35, had previously entered a guilty plea to charges including child abuse, child cruelty, and drug possession.

On Friday, Judge Joey Showalter of the 27th Circuit delivered her sentence: 45 years in prison, though with a significant condition.

Out of the total sentence, 44 years and nine months were suspended, leaving Mitchell with a 90-day jail term for her role in the death of her daughter, Harper Mitchell. The young child was fatally beaten by Mitchell’s then-partner, Andrew Byrd, 39, who was reportedly under the influence of methamphetamine while caring for the child as Mitchell was at work.

“He was undeniably the primary offender,” remarked Radford Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Rehak during the sentencing, as reported by The Roanoke Times.

The prosecutor noted that Mitchell showed regret and acknowledged her shortcomings in the situation.

And, as during Byrd’s sentencing, forgiveness was a leitmotif.

During her time on the stand, Mitchell said she had forgiven herself for what happened to her daughter and spent the past five years becoming “the best person Harper would want her to be,” according to a courtroom report by Roanoke-based CBS affiliate WDBJ.

The judge, for his part, called Harper an “angel” and child “who did not deserve what she went through that day.”

Showalter went on to express the hope that Mitchell takes some time in prison to reflect on how Harper’s father’s family will feel spending yet another holiday season without the little girl.

In October 2023, Showalter sentenced Byrd, Mitchell’s former boyfriend, to two life sentences for Harper’s murder.

“No person, let alone a little girl, a little angel, should be hurt,” the judge said during Byrd’s own sentencing hearing.

Rehak, at the time, said Harper’s murder was “the most serious crime of all the crimes we’ve got in our books,” The Roanoke Times reported. He added: “This defendant tortured that poor little girl.”

Evidence at trial showed that on April 16, 2020, Byrd showed up late to pick up Harper’s mother from work, WDBJ reported. Amanda Mitchell testified that the defendant was acting suspiciously about the child – who was bleeding. The mother told the jury that she wanted to take her girl to a hospital. Byrd wouldn’t let her and put a gun to her head to dissuade her, she said.

When the girl’s mother and her then-boyfriend got home, she said, Byrd strangled and hit her as they argued about what to do.

The child only belatedly got medical attention after her mother contacted Byrd’s mother – who, in turn, called 911.

Harper had a faint pulse when the defendant’s mother arrived. She also had a visible mark on her forehead. The girl was rushed to a nearby hospital but was taken off life support later that week.

A police detective who testified said Byrd offered various excuses for what happened, including that she fell off a four-wheeler, fell out of a shopping cart, and reacted poorly to something she ate because of a nut allergy, WDBJ reported. He told police the young girl’s condition worsened as the day passed.

“I don’t have my little girl anymore,” Harper’s father, T.J. Mitchell, said through tears at Byrd’s sentencing hearing.

“This defendant should be behind bars,” Rehak said during Byrd’s sentencing hearing – saying Harper was “beaten to a pulp.”

Showalter sentenced Byrd to consecutive life sentences on the murder and malicious wounding charges. He was also sentenced to various prison terms – from 12 months to 10 years – for the other six offenses. The judge assessed those lesser sentences to run concurrently, or at the same time, as the two life sentences.

The judge also mused on the pain Harper endured.

“I don’t mind telling you this, Mr. Byrd,” Showalter said. “If Harper were here today, she would be the first to say, ‘I forgive you.’”

Mitchell testified at Byrd’s trial; she initially faced felony homicide and involuntary manslaughter. Those charges were eventually dropped.

As far as culpability is concerned, Mitchell waited over two hours before coming home to find Harper bruised and limp on the day in question. Authorities say that delay likely played a contributing factor in the child’s death. Notably, however, Byrd also assaulted Mitchell that day and stopped her from calling for help sooner, according to testimony during Byrd’s trial.