PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A 60-year-old Oregon woman has been cleared of murder and manslaughter charges in the October 2009 death of her young granddaughter but a judge found her guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
Carolyn Bellamy will be sentenced Wednesday. The crime carries a recommended sentence of 16 to 18 months.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Janice Wilson ruled Friday that 23-month-old Ariana Magathan died at Bellamy’s hands although the grandmother did not intend to cause serious physical injury or death. The Gresham woman had waived a jury trial.
Prosecutors alleged that Bellamy shook the child so severely she was brain dead. Bellamy maintained the toddler crawled off a bed and hit her head on the floor. She died four days later at a hospital.
