'Like Staring Into The Face Of Evil': Victim's Mother Describes Former Daycare Worker Jessica Wiese In Court
MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - A former McKinney daycare worker convicted of abusing eight babies will serve 20 years in prison.
A jury found Jessica Joy Wiese, 45, guilty for one of the eight cases after a trial in December 2019, and assessed punishment at the maximum sentence under the law, 10 years in prison.
"This is every parent's nightmare – you entrust your infant child to someone who instead cruelly harms them behind closed doors," said Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis.
On Wednesday, Wiese pleaded guilty to the remaining seven charges of injury to a child in return for an additional 10 years in prison to be served after the initial jury sentence, for a total sentence of 20 years. After final sentencing, the children's family members gave victim impact statements -- some described the continuing nightmare caused by the abuse, while others extended forgiveness.
One mother, Olivia Williams described Wiese's demeanor in the courtroom as "empty, like she didn't care at all." Williams said only after some hesitation did Wiese admit what she did was wrong, adding it was "like staring into the face of evil," while giving her victim impact statement.
Wiese's youngest victim was a 2-month-old boy named Kairo Grant. His family said he suffered numerous broken bones.
A jury found Wiese guilty for one of the eight cases after a trial in December 2019, and assessed punishment at the maximum sentence under the law, 10 years in prison. On Wednesday, Wiese pleaded guilty to the remaining seven charges of injury to a child in return for an additional 10 years in prison to be served after the initial jury sentence, for a total sentence of 20 years. After final sentencing, the children's family members gave victim impact statements -- some described the continuing nightmare caused by the abuse, while others extended forgiveness.
Wiese, a former nurse, worked as an infant care provider at the Joyous Montessori Daycare in McKinney, between May 2016 and November 2018. After a parent noticed bruising on her child and received no satisfactory explanation from the daycare, the parent and her pediatrician notified Child Protective Services. McKinney Police Detective Aaron Magallanez investigated and reviewed all available daycare surveillance video, which included only the previous two weeks. He discovered that Wiese injured that infant by violently shaking him, ultimately causing three broken bones. Detective Magallanez also discovered seven additional infants Wiese abused while in her care. These children ranged in age from 9 weeks to 14 months. Six of the eight charges were based on video evidence.
All of the babies were evaluated at the Children's Medical Center's Referral and Evaluation of At Risk Children (REACH) Clinic. The REACH clinic medical staff is certified and trained in Child Abuse Pediatrics and determined the extent of the injuries. These medical evaluations, along with the video evidence, led to the eight charges of Injury to a Child, all 3rd degree felonies because the injuries did not rise to the level of serious bodily injury as defined in the Texas Penal Code.
Lawsuits were filed by victims' parents against Wiese and the company that owns the day care.
