A Scottsdale, Arizona mother has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison in the 2022 fentanyl overdose death of her toddler, according to AZFamily.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell Announced Gabriel Marshall, 34, was sentenced on Monday. According to reports, Marshall was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison, followed by 10 years of probation.
Police responded to the home on Sept. 19, 2022, after receiving a report of a 13-month-old child having ingested fentanyl. Mitchell said Marshall was the only person in the home at the time. Marshall admitted to exposing the child to his opiates, and police also found drug paraphernalia in the home, Mitchell said.
“During their investigation, police learned neighbors had heard a female screaming multiple times,” the report states. “Marshall called and texted friends, telling them the baby had died and taking medication, court documents state. She reportedly told friends, ‘I’m going to be in prison forever.'”
According to court documents, Marshall asked a friend for Narcan, and the friend repeatedly told her to call 911. Police also reviewed Marshall’s internet search history, finding references to “baby got fentanyl” and “CPR on overdosed baby.”
“The child was cold to the touch and Narcan was administered, but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital,” according to the report.
A subsequent autopsy found stab wounds on the baby’s body that paramedics had not made, and a toxicology report found fentanyl and norfentanyl in the baby’s blood.
Marshall pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse in April.
“Losing a child is devastating, but this mother will have to live with the knowledge that she lost her child because of her drug addiction for the rest of her life,” Ms Mitchell said.
