Sentenced: Casper Mom Arrested After 1YO Child Dies With Fentanyl & Meth In His System

[Sugar Cookie]

Over a year after Casper police responded to a report of a dead 366-day old boy, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation brought charges against the mother.

Elizabeth Sterkel is charged with one count of child endangerment and one count of criminally negligent homicide, court filings show.

Sterkel is facing up to six years in prison, if found guilty.

On the evening of May 18, 2022, Casper police responded a report of a deceased toddler, the affidavit states.

There were no obvious signs of trauma on the child, the affidavit states. A search warrant was issued for the Casper home, and Sterkel was interviewed.

During the search, officers found several items of drug paraphernalia that appeared to be used in the consumption of meth, the affidavit states.

Many items were sent to the Wyoming State Crime Lab for testing, the affidavit states. Among those was two baby bottles.

“One of these bottles was tested by the Wyoming State Laboratory, and was shown to contain amounts of Methamphetamine,” the affidavit states.

Sterkel allegedly admitted to using meth around her child while he was present in the residence, the affidavit states.

An autopsy was conducted on the child’s remains, the affidavit states. There was fentanyl and meth found in the blood samples.

“The autopsy showed that [the child] had been exposed to the Fentanyl well before he was found to be deceased,” the affidavit states. “It is believed [he] died within 1/2 to 1 hour after his exposure to the fentanyl.”

Casper mom accused of criminally negligent homicide after one-year-old child dies

Elizabeth Sterkel is charged with criminally negligent homicide and child endangerment, court filings show.

trib.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A Casper woman pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the death of her 366-day old boy, as part of an agreement with state prosecutors.

Elizabeth Sterkel also pleaded guilty Thursday morning to one felony count of child endangerment in Natrona County District Court. She faces up to six years in prison for both charges.

The maximum sentence for criminally negligent homicide is one year, while felony child endangerment carries a maximum of five years.

The “autopsy conducted on the child showed fentanyl exposure,” District Judge Catherine Wilking said in court Thursday.

The theory is that fentanyl was crushed up in the kitchen, and there were traces of meth in the sink. Sterkel’s friend is believed to have made a bottle for the child and put him down for bed after handling the drugs.



As part of the agreement, Sterkel’s sentence in another case — a third strike felony drug possession — will run at the same time as the sentences in this case. State prosecutors could still argue for the maximum sentence because it was not negotiated in the deal.

“It’s a criminally negligent failure of a parent,” Assistant District Attorney Blaine Nelson said in court Thursday.

Casper mother pleads guilty to criminally negligent homicide in death of one-year-old child

CASPER (WNE) — A Casper woman pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the death of her 366-day old boy, as part of an agreement with state prosecutors.

www.buffalobulletin.com

 

[thuumpr]

Mom's got 'too much tongue'... Can get that bobbed.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

April 11, 2024

A Casper woman was sentenced to four to five years in prison on Thursday for charges stemming from the death of her 1-year-old baby due to fentanyl exposure.

Elizabeth Rachel Sterkel entered a cold plea to one felony and one misdemeanor count last November. The state had only agreed to ask for no more than five years in prison, instead of the maximum six.

Though the fentanyl that caused the overdose was not hers, Sterkel was aware that guests in her home that night were using drugs and saw one of them cutting up fentanyl, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson at Sterkel’s sentencing.

When pleading guilty last November, Sterkel said the people had come over to help take care of the baby while she was dealing with a bout of pneumonia in the basement.

“She feels a significant amount of shame and failure as a mother,” Sterkel’s public defender, Dylan Rosalez, said. “She punishes herself for what happened.”

He said that Sterkel had been sober for almost a year and had been fully engaged in treatment.

Mother of child who died from fentanyl exposure sentenced to 5 years in prison

CASPER, Wyo. — A Casper woman was sentenced to four to five years in prison on Thursday for charges stemming from the death of her 1-year-old baby due to

oilcity.news

 

[Satanica]

I wonder if she’ll neglect her next baby to death. You know she’ll have another one.

 

[GoneWest]

“He said that Sterkel had been sober for almost a year and had been fully engaged in treatment.”

Right, right…because people who have a year of sobriety and are “fully” engaged in treatment are always allowing their druggie friends over to babysit while cutting up and shooting up multiple lethal drugs. Can’t imagine why she feels like a bad mother.