Mom, Boyfriend Sentenced In Boy's Fatal Beating
FLINT (WWJ/AP) - The mother of a 4-year-old Flint-area boy has been sentenced to at least 13 years in prison for failing to intervene while he was beaten to death by a boyfriend.
Brandon Hayes got a mandatory sentence of life in prison for murder committed during another felony, while Corrine Baker's shorter sentence for second-degree murder reflected a deal worked out with prosecutors last year.
In April 2010, Dominick Calhoun's aunt found him unconscious on the floor in an apartment in Genesee County's Argentine Township.
Police say Hayes had repeatedly beaten the boy, especially after he wet his pants. Medical experts who testified at the trial said the boy was battered from his "head to the soles of his feet."
Baker said she didn't seek help because she feared a call would trigger a probation violation for herself.
Prosecutor David Leyton called it a "very difficult and brutal tragedy."
Baker's maximum prison sentence is 30 years, although the state parole board will decide how long she stays behind bars after she serves the minimum 13 years. She told the judge that she had made "horrible choices."
Hayes did not speak in court, although Judge Richard Yuille wondered: "How could someone be so cruel to someone so small?"
TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
