Latest news with #Laszkiewicz
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Pewaukee woman gets 20 years in starvation death of autistic daughter
A Pewaukee woman will spend the next 20 years behind bars for the 2023 death of her severely autistic adult daughter, who officials say died as a result of starvation. Amy Laszkiewicz, 53, faced up to 40 years in prison, had she been convicted by a Waukesha County jury of recklessly subjecting an at-risk individual to abuse causing death. More: Milwaukee mom gets 10 years for raising kids in 'prison of garbage, filth.' Instead, she entered an Alford plea of no contest to the charge in January, online court records show. Such a plea meant she admitted no guilt in the case, but conceded that prosecutors had enough evidence for a conviction. On Thursday, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael O. Bohren handed down the prison sentence for Laskiewicz, and also ordered her to 15 years of extended supervision once she is released. According to a criminal complaint, deputies responded to a home on Christian Lane Jan. 4, 2023 after Laskiewicz called 911 to report that her daughter had died. There, they found Cora Laszkiewicz, 23, in a second-floor bedroom with blankets covering her body. More: 'Silence of the Lambs' dog house: Milwaukee man charged with animal cruelty She wasn't breathing and had no pulse. Cora Laszkiewicz also was extremely thin and her eyes and cheeks were sunken. Laszkiewicz told investigators her daughter had been diagnosed with severe autism and wasn't able to regulate her own diet. Laszkiewicz had been the legal guardian and sole care provider for her daughter since 2017, and that Cora Lazskiewicz hadn't left the residence since the COVID-19 pandemic. An autopsy determined Cora Lazskiewicz was emaciated and dehydrated; her hip bones, ribs and sternum were all visible under her skin, according to the criminal complaint. She was 5-foot-5 and weighed 70 pounds at the time of her to the criminal complaint, Laszkiewicz told investigators Cora Lazskiewicz last saw a doctor in 2019, but they determined her last documented visit was July 3, 2017. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pewaukee woman gets 20 years in starvation death of autistic daughter
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Autistic daughter starved to death, Pewaukee woman sentenced
The Brief A Pewaukee woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday. Prosecutors said she starved her "severely autistic" daughter to death. She entered an Alford plea in January. PEWAUKEE, Wis. - A Pewaukee woman who prosecutors said starved her daughter to death was sentenced to prison on Thursday. In Court Amy Laskiewicz entered an Alford plea in January. As part of that plea, which does not admit guilt, she avoided trial. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Laskiewicz was sentenced to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of extended supervision – more time than the state had requested. The backstory Investigators said they found Laskiewicz's 23-year-old daughter, Cora, dead in their Pewaukee condo in January 2023. Deputies said Cora was "severely autistic" and had not left the condo since the COVID-19 pandemic. "I believe this case was extremely aggravated, because Cora had special needs," Prosecutor Kristi Gordon said at sentencing. Prosecutors charged Laszkiewicz with "recklessly subjecting an individual at risk to abuse – causing death." Laszkiewicz called 911 after finding her daughter dead in bed. Investigators said Cora appeared "extremely thin" with "sunken eyes and cheeks." According to the Waukesha County Medical Examiner's Office, the 23-year-old weighed only 70 pounds. By comparison, medical records indicate she weighed 135 pounds during a doctor's visit seven years earlier. During sentencing, the judge compared autopsy photos of Cora to World War II concentration camps. He rejected the defense's request for probation. "She had a responsibility to save Cora, and she didn't do that," the judge said. Laszkiewicz was her daughter's legal guardian and sole caretaker. The medical examiner determined the death to be a homicide because Laskiewicz failed to give her daughter adequate food and water. What they're saying Defense Attorney Ronald Sonderhouse argued the 23-year-old woman "could have gotten up and gotten food on her own." Family members, including Laszkiewicz's other adult daughter, also came to her defense. "She really loves us for who we are – her kids," said Sarah Laszkiewicz, Amy's daughter. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News "I don't think I've ever seen a mother love her child so much," Patricia Dublin, Cora's aunt, said. Laszkiewicz also made her own plea at Thursday's sentencing hearing. "Having a child with special needs is challenging, but you have to do what you have to do," she said. The Source Information in this report is from the Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior FOX6 News coverage.
