Brooklyn resident Shemene Cato was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday for the death of her 9-year-old daughter, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney.
Cato appeared in Brooklyn Supreme Court before Justice Donald Leo on a charge of first-degree manslaughter, according to a press release.
Cato beat her daughter Shalom Guifarro, and another 13-year-old daughter, with an electrical cord and a broom for nearly two hours during an argument about a missing tablet in their Crown Heights home at about 8:00 a.m. in May 2022. Guifarro died after she tried to escape her mother by hiding under a bed. Cato attempted to lift the bed but dropped it, causing the leg to fall off. This led the bed to fall on Guifarro's head.
Cato called 911 at 1:00 p.m. Guifarro was declared deceased 20 minutes later.
The chief medical examiner later determined that the child suffered multiple blunt force impact injuries to her head, face, and body. The cause of death was blunt force trauma. The defendant’s elder daughter was taken to Brooklyn Hospital and treated for lacerations and contusions over her lower body, according to the DA's office.
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Cato pleaded guilty last year in October.
“The life of an innocent young girl was tragically and horrifically cut short at the hands of her own mother," Gonzalez said. "Hopefully, today’s sentence allows for some closure for all who were deeply affected by this heart-wrenching case."
