California mother receives 25 life sentences for pushing young son out of parking lot

(KTLA) – A mother from California was sentenced on Wednesday to 25 years in prison for pushing her 7-month-old son out of the hospital, killing him.

Sonia Hermasillo, 42, of La Habra, told the judge she regretted the murder of Noah Medina Jr. in 2011, and in tears asked to be reunited with her family, according to the Orange County Registry. reported.

“I am asking for the opportunity to stay with my daughters,” she said through a Spanish translator. “Please, Your Honor, I know that what I did was wrong, but I wholeheartedly regret it.”

Hermosillo was convicted by a jury last August one charge of first-degree murder and one charge of assault on a child, causing death. She pleaded not guilty and was acquitted due to insanity, which led to a separate lawsuit to determine if she was legally insane at the time of the incident.

A month later, the same jury found Ermasila guilty of first-degree murder thought she was smart at the time of the murder.

OC Supreme Court Judge Kimberly Meninger said Wednesday that her only options were a suspended sentence or 25 years in prison, adding that a suspended sentence for killing a child is not a good option, according to the OC Register.

“There is no winner here,” Meninger told the Hermosillo family. “It just became a tragedy and I’m sorry for what you went through.”

On August 22, 2011, Hermosillo took her 7-month-old son Nou to Orange County Children’s Hospital in Orange and parked his car on the fourth floor of the parking lot.

Noah was born with congenital muscular hemorrhage and wore a medical helmet to correct plagiarism. His health condition required him to be treated regularly at the hospital, but that day the baby was not scheduled for admission.

Hermosillo took off Noah’s helmet and pushed him out of the parking lot, the provincial office said. Prosecutors say she intended to kill him.

Then the mother went to the hospital, confirmed her parking and drove away.

A witness who saw the child fall called 911.

Noah was taken to the trauma center at UC Irvine Medical Center in critical condition and died two days later.

Shortly after Noah was pushed out of the parking lot, Hermosillo’s husband, Noah Medina, called law enforcement to report that his wife and son were missing.

At the time, Medina told police that his wife had recently been hospitalized due to depression and was not allowed to be left alone with the child.

He said she picked up Noah while he was watching the couple’s other two children at their home in La Habra. He was not immediately aware of what had happened, but when he realized that they were not there, he called the police to report their disappearance.

That night, an orange police officer saw Hermosil passing by the hospital and arrested her, officials said.