TUNNELTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia woman on Wednesday was sentenced to 100 years in prison for the November 2018 death of a 13-month-old girl.
Kelly Marie Tusing, 24, of Tunnelton, was found guilty in October of death by abuse Friday, nearly two years after Braylen Louk suffered a brain injury in Tusing’s care and later died, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, Tusing, who was indicted in March 2019, shook or hit the toddler she was babysitting, WDTV reported. The child was taken to a hospital and was taken off life support eight days later by her family, the television station reported.
Tusing claimed that the child fell off a bed onto the floor, the News & Journal reported. Tusing’s attorney, William Frame, said a chronic or days-old injury could have led to the child’s death, according to the newspaper.
>> West Virginia babysitter convicted in 2018 death of toddler
Prosecutors alleged that Tusing struck or shook the toddler, who also suffered a subdural hematoma and hemorrhaging, WBOY reported. Medical examiners called Louk’s death a homicide, according to the News & Journal.
Frame said he will appeal the sentencing, WDTV reported. A motion for a new trial will be held Jan. 22, he told the television station.