A Northern California woman was found guilty of murder after authorities said she didn’t try to save her 2-year-old drowning daughter and instead was phoning men she met on dating apps.
Kelle Anne Brassart, 45, of Turlock, was convicted of second-degree murder and felony child neglect in connection with the death of her 2-year-old, Daniellé Pires, the Stanislaus County district attorney’s office announced in a news release last week.
Brassart was on probation for child abuse at the time of her child’s death, according to the release. She is due in court on Feb. 5 for sentencing and could get a life sentence for her conviction.
On Sept. 12, Brassart called 911 after she found her daughter floating in the pool, according to the release. Brassart remained at the home after the call and didn’t attempt to resuscitate her child, police said.
Brassart told police she wasn’t able to get to her daughter because of a leg injury and needed to use a wheelchair, the release states. According to evidence introduced at the trial, Brassart drove, went to nail appointments, and was able to walk without a wheelchair. She had a walking boot and crutches in the home at the time of her daughter’s death.
Video evidence also showed Brassart walking and standing without a wheelchair.
Officers from the Turlock Police Department responded to the 911 call and pulled Danielle’s body from the pool, according to the release. Despite attempts to save her life, she died at the scene. Officers noticed that Brassart was displaying signs of impairment and began an investigation into her daughter’s death.
During the investigation, officers found liquor bottles hidden throughout the house, some of them empty, according to the release. In the video surveillance of the drowning, 2-year-old Daniellé was left unattended outside before she got into the pool.
At the time of the drowning, Brassart was on her phone for about 45 minutes talking to men she had met on dating apps, according to the release. Brassart had been told by Daniellé’s father that she couldn’t drink while he was away at work because she needed to watch their child.
Brassart’s blood alcohol content level was .246% at the time of the drowning, according to the district attorney’s news release. Brassart had also been advised in parenting classes about the risks of leaving a child unsupervised. Brassart also left one of her other children unsupervised, resulting in the child being hospitalized after consuming medication, according to evidence presented at the trial.
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