TRISTAN DODSALL - 3 yo (2010) - Peyton CO

A judge on Friday sentenced a Peyton woman to six years in prison for
her guilty plea to child abuse resulting in the death of her 3-year-old
adopted son.
Fourth Judicial District Judge Scott Sells imposed the sentence on
Michelle Dosdall for the March 29 death of her son Tristan, a former
foster child whom she had adopted.
“I didn’t do anything that they said I did,” Dosdall told Sells in a
courtroom packed with about 30 friends and relatives. “But the fact is I
didn’t keep him safe.
“That’s something I have to live with for the rest of my life and quite frankly, I’m not doing well with it,” she added.
On March 24, deputies and paramedics were called to the Dosdall home
at 21150 Cheryl Grove where they found the boy unconscious and having
difficulty breathing. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died
after being declared brain dead and taken off life support.
An autopsy revealed that the boy died from a blow to the head that was inconsistent with a household fall.
Dosdall told deputies that the boy slipped and fell after he got out
of a bathtub. She later admitted to being verbally “gruff” with the
youngster while doing some physical exercises.
During the sentencing hearing, Deputy District Attorney Donna Billek
said a sentence of probation or community corrections was not
appropriate.
“She (Dosdall) doesn’t deny responsibility, but she doesn’t accept
responsibility either,” Billek said, later adding “She’s crying over
what’s going to happen to her and not over Tristan.”
“Yes sometimes accidents happen, but this wasn’t an accident,” Billek said.
Several friends and neighbors told the judge that Dosdall was a caring parent whom they would trust with their own children.
Dosdall’s attorney Rick Levinson said he was disappointed with the sentence. He called it “a tragedy on top of a tragedy.”
“We were hoping for a sentence that would have enabled Mrs. Dosdall
to remain with her family. That obviously didn’t happen,” he added. “But
this is a strong family and the family and faith that Michelle has will
enable her to get through this.”
Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/adopted-111190-death-son.html#ixzz1B7VJuIOh