SAN ANTONIO — Jessica Briones was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday, one day after the San Antonio woman was found guilty of killing her 4-year-old daughter in September of 2017.
The trial had been ongoing since mid-October, more than five years after Briones, 39, brought her child Olivia to a northwest-side police substation; authorities at the time said the girl had several injuries to her face, head, leg and arms. She was pronounced dead at University Hospital the following day, on Sept. 6, 201, and Briones was subsequently arrested.
"This little girl suffered at the hands of her own mother," Bexar County DA Joe Gonzales said after the sentencing. "She should have celebrated so many milestones. I appreciate the hard work of our team and this jury to finally get justice for Olivia."
Back in 2017, Briones told authorities her daughter hit her head by accident, and had been vomiting. When questioned about why she didn't call for help sooner, Briones reportedly told police she didn't know where her phone was and that it was low on minutes.
When asked about the injuries, Briones told police her child fell a lot and had stumbled a few days prior. Briones admitted to slamming the girl's arm in the door, but called it an accident.
As for the trauma to her daughter's head, Briones had no explanation. After her daughter's death, her charge was eventually upgraded to murder.
Briones faced anywhere from five years to life behind bars following her conviction.
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