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- A judge sentenced Kristina Siedlecki to 15 years to life in prison for her baby’s death.
- A Sacramento County jury convicted Siedlecki of second-degree murder on Oct. 1.
- Prosecutors said neither parent sought medical for the child in the days after the burns.
A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced a mother to 15 years to life in prison for the death of her 8-month-old daughter, who suffered severe burns from dangerously hot bathwater and didn’t receive immediate medical care.
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Judge Alyson Lewis handed down the maximum sentence to Kristina Huemann Siedlecki, 26, for the death of her daughter, Jannah Ali Abughazaleh, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday in a news release.
A jury convicted Siedlecki on Oct. 1 of second-degree murder in the infant’s death. Jannah died Aug. 25, 2024, according to Sacramento County coroner records. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Prosecutors said Siedlecki’s husband and the child’s father, Hussein Ali Abughazaleh, placed Jannah in a bathtub filled with scalding water, causing severe burns to more than 30% of her body. Siedlecki arrived home while the baby was still in the bathtub.
Siedlecki saw Jannah’s skin turn red, then peel and blister. The burns stretched from the baby’s mid-back to the back of her legs and heels, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Despite the severity of the infant’s injuries, neither parent sought medical care in the days that followed. Prosecutors said Jannah later died from complications of the burns.
Prosecutors said internet searches on Siedlecki’s phone showed she understood the risks of leaving her daughter’s injuries untreated, but avoided seeking medical care because she feared arrest.
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On the morning of Jannah’s death, Siedlecki noticed a change in the baby’s breathing. Prosecutors said Jannah became limp and then unresponsive.
Instead of calling 911, Siedlecki used social media while her husband waited nearly 45 minutes before contacting a friend for help, according to the DA’s Office.
Prosecutors said Siedlecki’s failure to seek medical care resulted in her daughter’s death. Sacramento County sheriff’s detectives arrested Siedlecki and Abughazaleh, then 26, on suspicion of homicide in December 2024. Abughazaleh died before he could stand trial. Sacramento County coroner records showed Abughazaleh died Feb. 7, 2025, and his death was ruled an accident. Jail records showed Abughazaleh, who faced a murder charge in his daughter’s death, was released from custody that same day.
Abughazaleh died hours after a court ordered his compassionate release from jail, KCRA reported. Sheriff’s officials told KCRA that Abughazaleh was taken to a hospital Jan. 26, 2025, after a medical emergency and was given a “grave prognosis” by medical professionals.
Siedlecki remained in custody Friday afternoon at the Sacramento County Main Jail while awaiting transfer to prison.
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