A mother of six stood before a courtroom, pleading for mercy as she faced sentencing for the horrific death of her daughter, whose body was discovered in a disturbingly neglected state.

“I never wanted this,” Doraelia Espinoza expressed to Judge Bruce Fox during her January sentencing. Her words, relayed through an English translator, were covered by Albuquerque’s news station KRQE. “I want to say that I love my children with my whole heart, from the oldest to the youngest. I’m not a bad person. I’m just a hardworking mother who does everything for her children,” she stated.

In a heartbreaking case from 2022, the 16-year-old girl was taken to the hospital, where medical professionals found her in a dire condition. According to a press release from New Mexico’s Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, she was “severely malnourished with no fat tissue or muscle,” weighing only 40 pounds. Her condition was so severe that maggots were reportedly discovered on her body, and she had scrapes and rashes around her vaginal area.

A criminal complaint provided to Oxygen by the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office revealed further grim details. A nurse described the child as unresponsive and in full cardiac arrest upon arrival at the hospital. The girl, referred to as “Maria,” was already deceased when she reached the hospital. Reports indicated she was blind, experienced seizures, and lived in a room filled with feces, flies, and blood.

During the Bernalillo County District Court hearing, Deputy District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg Koch emphasized the severity of the situation to Judge Fox. “This case is not a tragic accident, a lapse in judgment, a parent that is frustrated,” she asserted, as per the video released by KRQE. “This case is about prolonged abuse.”

“This case is not a tragic accident, a lapse in judgment, a parent that is frustrated,” Deputy District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg Koch told Judge Fox during the Bernalillo County District Court hearing in a video published by KRQE. “This case is about prolonged abuse.” 

A detective also told the judge that this case was “one of the most heartbreaking” cases that he and his colleagues have experienced. 

One of Espinoza’s other children asked the judge for leniency for their mom, highlighting her “lifelong history as a hardworking, kind and devoted mother.” 

Espinoza pleaded no contest to Reckless Abuse of a Child (resulting in death) and Abuse of a Child, according to the DA’s statement. Showing graphic photos of the girl’s condition, reported KRQE, the DA requested a sentence of 18 years—the maximum punishment under New Mexico law. 

Ultimately, Judge Fox sentenced Espinoza to 15 years in the New Mexico Corrections Department, citing the abuse which he said occurred “at a minimum over about five or six days.” 

Fox also ordered Espinoza to not have “unwanted contact” with her five other children, according to KRQE 

Espinoza’s attorney Raymond Maestas did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.