ALBUQUERQUE — An Albuquerque mother who pleaded guilty in one of the state's most high-profile child-abuse deaths has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
An emotional Synthia Varela-Casaus was sentenced Friday in the 2013 kicking death of her 9-year-old son, Omaree, in a case that sparked a number of state reforms.
Last month, she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges.
An autopsy found Omaree died from severe internal bleeding caused by blunt-force trauma. Prosecutors say Omaree tried unsuccessfully to get help from authorities because of previous abuse.
Court records show that Varela-Casaus had initially told police her son fell from a toy spring horse.
Omaree's stepfather was sentenced in November after a jury found him guilty on charges that included tampering with evidence and acting with reckless disregard for not calling 911 sooner.
