Maryland – A Maryland woman was sentenced to life in prison after she was convicted on multiple charges, including child abuse resulting in the death of a child under 13 years of age. Prosecutors said the 36-year-old woman, later identified as NicoIe, must serve 50 years before she is eligible for parole and if she is ever released, she will be required to serve five years of supervised probation and complete mental health treatment. During the trial, prosecutors said the woman killed her family members, 5 and 7, four years ago. NicoIe was sentenced earlier this week, court records say.
The investigation process began in July 2021 after authorities in Maryland conducted a traffic stop on the woman’s vehicle. According to the police officials, they reportedly planned to tow the car because the vehicle had a fake license plate and was unregistered. Shortly after, the responding officers found the victim’s bodies in the vehicle’s trunk.
When the woman opened the trunk, the responding officers spotted maggots and smelled odor of decomposition. The responding officers realized that the woman placed the child’s bodies in a suitcase and plastic bag.
During an interview with investigators, the defendant reportedly said that one year before she was arrested, both victims and her were at a hotel when she realized that the 7-year-old girl, JoshIyn, was stealing from her. The woman admitted to beating the child by punching her multiple times. The child fell down, hit her head and became unresponsive. The woman then placed her body in a suitcase and drove around with it for several months.
According to the woman, the 5-year-old boy died in his sleep, several months before she was taken into custody. According to the court documents, the 36-year-old woman was the victim’s caretaker because their mom was unable to look after them. The defendant was supposed to give the children back to their parent, but never showed up for the exchange.
According to the court documents, the defendant was taking care of the children because their mother had reportedly entrusted her with their care. Reports indicated that the children had been living with the defendant for several years before their deaths. However, it appears their living situation was unstable, and authorities later discovered that she had been neglecting them.