Trial near in case of python that killed Fla. toddler

(CBS/WTSP/AP) OXFORD, Fla. - Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday for the trial of a woman and her boyfriend charged in the death of a 2-year-old girl, who was strangled by a pet python that escaped from its terrarium.

Jaren Hare and 34-year-old Jason Damell are charged with manslaughter and child abuse in the 2009 death of Shanianna Hare, the woman's daughter.

Documents show the 8-foot-six inch Burmese snake had escaped repeatedly in the month before the girl's death.

Darnell told investigators that although the snake was in its tank when he went to bed that night, he found it in the hall an hour later and returned it to the terrarium.

The next morning, Darnell says he found the snake coiled around the child's head with its fangs sunk into her forehead.

Investigators say the child died of strangulation, reports CBS affiliate WTPS.

According to WTPS, a Department of Children and Families report reveals that both Hare and Darnell had tested positive for drugs two months before the girl's death.

Detectives also found Darnell did not have a permit to own the python, which was named Gypsy.

Both face up to 15 years in prison if they're convicted of manslaughter or third-degree murder, according to the station. They are also charged with child neglect, which carries a potential five-year prison sentence.