Judge Sentences Young Mother To Years In Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A judge sentenced Meredith Stilwell, who pleaded guilty to trying to smother her young daughter in January 2009, to 52 to 72 months in prison Monday.

Meredith Stilwell pleaded guilty Friday to felony child abuse, inflicting serious injury after hidden cameras at the Levine Children's Hospital recorded her trying to smother her baby.

VIDEO: Judge Sentences Young Mother To Years In Prison

VIDEO: Mother Pleads Guilty To Attempting to Smother Daughter

In a hearing before sentencing, psychiatrists testified Stilwell suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, causing her to attempt to smother her child in an effort to get attention from doctors and nurses.

Munchausen Syndrome by proxy generally involves a mother seeking unneeded medical attention for her child. For more information on symptoms and warning signs, click here.

Her attorney claimed her mental problems were so extraordinary that she should spend little time in prison.

The judge disagreed, finding mental illness significantly reduced her culpability, but still sending her to prison for years.

"Mental health conditions may mitigate a criminal sentence, but they certainly don't excuse the defendant's conduct," Assistant District Attorney Kelly Miller said.

Stilwell's daughter, who is now 2 years old, was born premature. She had a hole in her heart and some bleeding in her brain, but a doctor who testified in court Friday said that is not unusual in preemies.

When the child was 7 months old, Stilwell took her to Levine's Children's Hospital and said she had stopped breathing. Dr. Kerry Van Voorhis, from Levine's Children's Hospital, testified that they ran hundreds of tests to try to determine why the child, Alexa, stopped breathing. Results showed that the hole in her heart had closed on its own and that she had no brain problems.

Their initial diagnosis was extreme reflux, Van Voorhis said.

Stilwell told doctors the episodes in which Alexa stopped breathing continued, Van Voorhis said, prompting them to do surgery on the child's stomach.

Van Voorhis said they eventually realized an episode had never happened when a doctor or nurse was present and decided to place cameras in the child's hospital room.

"They were never in the room when it started," Van Voorhis said. "They would always find Alexa blue, with her mom there performing CPR."

Van Voorhis described the video footage to the courtroom.

"I saw her fingers pinch Alexa's nose and put her hand over her face," Van Voorhis said. "Alexa was kicking and struggling, trying to get air."

"Mrs. Stilwell would then put [Alexa] back in bed, wrap her up, then sit in a chair like nothing happened," the doctor added. "[The video was] the most disturbing thing I've ever seen," Van Voorhis said. "Mrs. Stilwell would be kissing and comforting Alexa like she was the best mother in the world."

Alexa is healthy now, Scott Stilwell, the toddler's father and Meredith's ex-husband, said.

"I'm here for [Alexa]," Scott Stilwell said. "There's nothing that can repair or replace the damage that's been done to her. I just want to see justice in some form."

To watch an earlier interview with Scott Stilwell in which he discusses his wife's arrest, click here.

Scott Stilwell said he wants to ensure that Alexa and the couple's other child, a 4-year-old boy, never see their mother again.

"It's comforting to know we've got 5 to 6 -- well 4 to 6 years without having to worry about anything," he said.

Scott Stilwell said he plans to pursue other options to keep his ex-wife away from their children even after she's released.

"There's a legal process called terminating parental rights that can be done, and I intend to pursue that," he said.

WSOC