Local WSIU
(2007-02-01)
CLINTON, ILL.
(St. Louis Public Radio) -
A judge in central Illinois has handed down a ten-year prison sentence for a Clinton woman convicted of child endangerment in the 2003 drowning deaths of her three children.Amanda Hamm showed no emotion as the sentence was read Thursday.
Her conviction had carried a penalty ranging from probation to 20 years.
Defense attorney Steve Skelton said with time served and other credits, the 30-year-old should be released from prison in about 14 months.
Hamm had asked the judge for mercy in making her first public comments about the deaths of her children.
She testified that she wants to help victims of domestic violence when she's released from jail.
Her mother, Ann Powers, says she's pleased with the sentence.
But prosecutors say they're disappointed she didn't receive the maximum term. Craig Brown, the father of one of Hamm's children, told reporters that his former girlfriend deserved far more than the 14 months she will likely spend in prison. © Copyright 2012, St. Louis Public Radio
