Troy Mother Convicted Of Manslaughter For Death Of Son

A Troy mother who says she blacked out the night her 7-week old son died has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Miranda Hopkins admitted that on the night Jaxson died, she had been drinking heavily and smoking marijuana prior to blacking out. When she woke up, she discovered that the infant was cold and had been badly beaten. The State Medical Examiner's Office ruled the cause of death as blunt force injuries. She originally blamed the death on one of her two other children with autism, but finally told police that she was so drunk, she didn't remember what had happened.

WLBZ-TV reports the judge took into account the fact that she never really accepted responsibility for the boy's death, and the fact that she was unable to care for her children due to drug and alcohol abuse. The judge admitted, however, that it was a tough decision, because Hopkins has no criminal history, has a history of volunteer work, and there's not much chance it will happen again.

There's no word on whether her attorney plans to file an appeal.