TENNESSEE — A man and a woman were sentenced to 35 years in prison Monday after a 5-year-old girl was forced to drink large amounts of grape soda and water and died, according to The Tennessean.
The girl’s father, 41-year-old Randall Lee Vaughn, and stepmother, 58-year-old Mary Lavonne Vaughn, were sentenced Monday.
In Jan 2012, officials say the Vaughns forced Alexa Linboom to chug 2.5 liters of grape soda and water over a one to two-hour period after she had a couple of drinks from her stepmother’s grape soda.
Linboom became unresponsive and was taken to the hospital. She was later declared brain-dead and removed from life support.
The couple pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated child neglect after a two-year investigation determined Alexa died from fluid intoxication.
