A Houston jury has reached a decision on the
sentencing phase of the trial against Jessica Tata, a daycare owner whose home
caught fire, killing and injuring several children.
On November 13, Tata was found
guilty of murder and sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Tata, 24, left children in a home
on Crest Park near Waypark alone with a pan of grease heating on a stove while
she went shopping on February 24, 2011.
When she got home, the house
was on fire. Elias, Shomari Dickerson, 3; Elizabeth Kojah, 20 months, and
Kendyll Stradford, 20 months, all died in the fire. Three other children were
hurt.
Jurors took eight hours to decide
on punishment. Tata will be eligible for parole in 30 years.
Tata wiped away tears as her
attorney, Mike DeGeurin, said the fire and deaths were an accident. He said
Tata made a mistake and never intended for the children to be hurt because she
loved them.
“She should have called for help or
she should have said to herself, ‘I’ll wait until they wake up, change their
diapers, I’ll load them up in the car and we’ll go shopping together,’”
DeGeurin said. “But she didn’t.”
DeGeurin said that Tata will
forever pay, no matter how long she spends in prison, for using bad judgment.