MIRACLE GRACE BRYANT - 10 months (2008) - Norfolk VA

A Norfolk woman will spend 17 years in prison for starving her 10-month-old twin
daughters, resulting in the death of one of them.
Heaven Smith was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in March to charges
of murder and child neglect. Smith's husband, Corey Bryant, already was
sentenced to 15 years.
Ten-month-old Miracle Grace died of starvation in April 2008. Heaven LeeAnna
survived after being hospitalized for months with malnutrition and
dehydration.
Smith testified that she and her husband strapped the girls into infant seats
alone when they went to work instead of getting a baby sitter. By the time the
parents called medics, the girls were covered in bloody rashes and struggling
for breath.
Doctors testified the babies had been starved for months.