Mother pleads guilty in manslaughter case

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A mother convicted of child neglect accepted a plea deal Friday in order to avoid a re-trial.

Prosecutors allege Deanna DeJesus did nothing when her husband went on a stabbing rampage, killing their autistic 9-year-old son and injuring their 7-year-old son.

The 7-year-old boy testified that his mother said nothing while he and his brother were being attacked. He is now in the care of State social workers. Anna Alper, the child's attorney, said she cannot speak too much about where the child will be placed, however, she said, "Our hope is he'll be adopted by a loving family."

DeJesus will not be allowed to see her surviving son again, Alper revealed.

DeJesus has already been convicted by a jury of child neglect and was facing re-trial for manslaughter.

The State Attorney's Office showed a little compassion towards DeJesus and decided not to retry her on aggravated manslaughter charges as long as she pleaded guilty. The 33-year-old mother accepted the plea deal. She will serve 10 years in jail followed by five years probation for failing to protect her two sons from their father's drug-fueled rage on Feb. 9. Police said DeJesus was also brutally stabbed.

William DeJesus was an oxycodone addict and had cocaine in his system at the time of the murder, authorities said. He killed himself the same night.

The mother has 250 days credited for time served and 15 percent off for good behavior. DeJesus could be out of prison in as little as seven and a half years.

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