The parents of a 1-year-old girl who drowned in their bathtub pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and child abuse Wednesday and will spend time in prison.
Elisa and Shaun Green, both 25, are both eligible for probation on the child-abuse charge but face mandatory prison time on the homicide charge. The maximum sentence either of them could receive is 7.5 years in prison.
The couple's daughter, Rachael, died July 8, 2009, after she was left unattended in a bathtub with two siblings - both under the age of 4. Her mother was "multitasking" and her father was watching a movie, according to court records.
Elisa Green placed Rachael in a safety seat that was hooked to the tub and left the children alone.
When she no longer could hear the kids, she went to check on them and found Rachel face-down in the water. Rachael was taken to a hospital, where she died.
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On Wednesday, both Greens were required to tell Judge Howard Fell of Pima County Superior Court what they did that made them guilty of the charges.
Elisa Green was crying so hard, most of her statement was unintelligible.
A subdued Shaun Green told the judge, "I didn't help my wife with what she needed help with."
Deputy Pima County Attorney Anita Simons told Fell both parents knew Rachael could get out of the safety seat.
The child-abuse charges pertained to the "filthy" conditions of their home, Simons said.
Child Protective Services previously removed their children from the home for failure to thrive, according to court documents.
They completed required parenting classes and a family CPS plan, and their children were returned to them in 2008.
After the children's return, the parents continued to neglect the kids, court documents say. CPS has since filed to sever their parental rights.
The pair will be sentenced April 17.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
