Woman sentenced in hot car death of a 4-year-old
Family storms out of court after sentencing hearing
The family of a four-year-old boy named Logan said he died three years ago after he was left in a hot car for hours. On Thursday, the woman convicted of the crime was sentenced, but the family was not happy to see this outcome.
ORLANDO, Fla. - An Orlando woman was sentenced on Thursday following her conviction in the 2018 death of a four-year-old boy.
Mariah Butler pleaded guilty to child neglect in a plea bargain for leaving Logan Starling in a hot car. A judge sentenced her to five years of probation.
"She got away with murder! She hated him," said Logan’s great-grandmother Joane Warner.
Logan Starling's family was so enraged by the judge’s ruling, they stormed out of the courtroom.
"At least somebody justify being responsible for the death of a four-year-old and you walk away with probation," said the boy's great-grandfather Roy Warner.
Butler is accused of leaving the son of her now-fiancé alone in a hot car for over six hours outside of his school where she also worked at the time. The state said the school never notified anyone that Logan wasn’t in class.
"The tragic accident of what happened to Logan will never leave me," said Butler. "I carry it with me every day and it hurts. I wish I could rewind time to do things differently on that day."
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Butler claims she was overwhelmed while taking care of six kids and is deeply sorry for what happened. However, that wasn't good enough for Logan’s mother.
"She gets to live every day happy with her kids and I don’t," said Shelby Hester. "I have to live the rest of my life without my middle child and she gets to live a happy life."
As part of Mariah’s probation, she can’t work at a school or a place that cares for children. She has 48 hours to report to her probation officer.
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