A woman charged in the suffocation death of her two-month-old son after falling asleep in December of 2021 has been sentenced to probation.
Jocelyn Pater, who pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree manslaughter in July, was sentenced Wednesday in the death of her 2-month-old son, Jett.
Pater’s defense had filed a motion asking for no prison time, despite Pater’s guilty plea. In court on Wednesday, the judge handed Pater a sentence of five years of supervised probation.
Pater’s cousin gave a victim impact statement in court, asking the judge for prison time and for Pater to get the maximum sentence.
As part of her plea deal in July, charges of child endangerment, 5th-degree drug possession, and causing or permitting a child to be exposed to methamphetamine were dropped.
In December, 2021, Austin police were called to 402 27th Street SW for a report of a 2-month-old infant who was not breathing and had a nosebleed.
According to court documents, Pater told police that she fell asleep on the couch with the child and was later awoken by her friend who had pulled the child away and took them to a neighbor’s home and called 911. The woman attempted CPR until police arrived. The child was later flown by Mayo One to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where the child died four days later.
The medical examiner’s autopsy report said the infant died due to overlay while co-sleeping with an adult.
Law enforcement claims that Pater’s alleged use of methamphetamine caused her to smother the infant, and prevented her from awakening before causing injury that allegedly led to the boy’s death.
Detectives said they learned from hospital staff that the infant also presumptively tested positive for narcotics.
Jett was 2-months-old at the time of his death, and would have turned 2-years-old this month.
Tell us your thoughts...