SERAPHINA BERNARDI - 6 Months (2009) - Great Falls MT

A Great Falls woman convicted of beating her
boyfriend's daughter so badly that the infant suffered permanent
brain damage and blindness received the maximum sentence of 30
years in prison without the possibility of parole.
Alicia Jo Hocter was sentenced Wednesday by District Judge Dirk
Sandefur. She was found guilty of aggravated assault and criminal
endangerment for the February 2009 beating of Seraphina Bernardi.
Prosecutors say Hocter held the infant around the waist and swung
her against the edge of a wooden crib two or three times, then
tossed the child into the crib, left the room and closed the door.
Seraphina's father called 911 when he arrived about an hour later.
Hocter apologized and said she believed she deserved punishment.

The woman convicted of severe child abuse last month, will spend the
next three decades behind bars.




Alicia Hocter, 21, was convicted of aggravated assault and
criminal endangerment after a four-day trial for shaking her former
fiancé’s six month old daughter, Serephina Bernardi, and hitting the
baby's head against her crib.
Serephina will never regain her sight, suffers from seizures
and doctors say she will always require special care.
Her mother, Kendra Bernardi now cares for two special needs
children. she was pregnant in early 2009 when the abuse occurred, and
that baby now suffers the effects of in utero brain damage.
Bernardi took the stand to share her sentencing request.
“Sera has been sentenced to life,” she said. “And it’s not a
choice that Sera made. She did nothing wrong, and Alicia—just 30 years
in prison is still better off than what Sera will be for the rest of her life.”
The prosecution said Hocter's actions of self
preservation—along with her immediate pregnancy after making bail showed
irresponsibility and a lack of remorse.
Hocter's attorney, Melody Brown, said the prosecution was
retaliating because the case went to trial.
“What happened in this situation was so out of character for
Alicia,” Brown added. “This is not how she has lived her life. It was one moment.”
District Judge Dirk Sandefur said he understands Hocter's
depression but added it was not an excuse to break the law.
“If this isn’t the type of case that warrants the maximum
sentence, I don’t know what is,” the Judge commented before handing down
his sentence. “If this isn’t that case, what else has to happen?”
Judge Sandefur sentenced Hocter to 30 years in prison
without the possibility of parole.
Hocter did speak at the hearing. She said she still cares
about Serephina and that she is sorry for her actions.