PLEA BARGAINS ACCEPTED IN CHILD'S DEATH KILLER RECEIVES LIFE SENTENCE.Byline: Holly Edwards Staff WriterLOS ANGELES Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. - A Newhall man and woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to abusing and killing their 2-year-old son, in exchange for prosecutors dropping additional charges against them, officials said. Michael Shires, 27, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Aprill Starr, 37, pleaded guilty to child abuse leading to the death of a child after previously rejecting another plea bargain plea bargain n. in criminal procedure, a negotiation between the defendant and his attorney on one side and the prosecutor on the other, in which the defendant agrees to plead "guilty" or "no contest" to some crimes, in return for reduction of the severity of the . She was sentenced to eight years in state prison and will be automatically paroled after four years under state sentencing laws, officials said. In exchange for the pleas, prosecutors dropped a charge of felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. assault on a child leading to death against Shires and a charge of child endangerment leading to death against Starr. Deputy District Attorney Steve Slavitt, who prosecuted the case, said that ``justice was served'' by the plea bargain agreement. ``She will certainly serve a significant amount of time in prison for failing to protect this child,'' Slavitt said. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. sheriff's department homicide investigators, Shires killed his 2-year-old son, Kyle, on June 6, 1999, in the family's Arch Street home by striking him numerous times in the abdomen. He then placed the blond, blue-eyed boy blue-eyed boy Noun informal a favourite in the bathtub, called 911 and said his son had drowned, investigators said. Shires later told investigators that he was upset because Starr left him at home without cigarettes and he became enraged en·rage tr.v. en·raged, en·rag·ing, en·rag·es To put into a rage; infuriate. [Middle English *enragen, from Old French enrager : en-, causative pref. when the toddler would not stop staring at him as he watched a football game, officials said. An autopsy determined that Kyle died of abdominal bleeding, and also had bruises Bruises Definition Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Pupura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition. on his head, chest, back and thighs that appeared to be recent, leading investigators to conclude he was a victim of abuse, according to court records. Prosecutors said Starr knew Shires was abusing the boy, her eighth child, but took no steps to protect him. Starr was then charged in connection with the killing, said Slavitt. Shires and Starr were also convicted in 1995 of abusing another one of Starr's children, a 6-week-old child, in Apple Valley, court records said. i miss my brother so much!! i wish that he was here today!!i wish this would have never happen to a wonderful baby like him! i miss him chasing me around the house and rocking him to sleep! i love you kyle ky! love sister lindsey
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