Sharon Kennedy Gets 48 Years in Prison for Daughter’s Death

Sharon Kennedy, formerly known as Sharon Carrillo, is sentenced to 48 years in prison for the child abuse death of her daughter, Marissa Kennedy.

The 10-year-old's battered body was found in 2018, in the home she shared with her mother and her step-father, Julio Carrillo. An autopsy revealed that the girl had endured months of abuse, finally passing away when her heart gave out. Before she died, she had lost the ability to speak but court documents reveal, shortly before her voice went, she told her mother she felt like she was dying. A recording of Sharon Kennedy's interview with police described the horrific abuse, and she could be heard saying that she should have stopped.

Kennedy's lawyers said Sharon suffers from a very low IQ and was also a victim of abuse, at the hands of her husband. Prosecutors argued that she had ample opportunity to report the abuse to social workers, doctors, or family members. In court on Friday, prosecutors said their phone calls with Sharon in jail were all about her future, and never focused on remorse for her daughter. Kennedy's father argued that his daughter has the mind of a 12 or 13-year-old girl.

WGME-TV reports, before rendering his sentence, the judge explained that Sharon Kennedy was an active participant in the abuse of her daughter, and not an accomplice. However, he said, her role in the abuse was less egregious than that of her husband. He also took into account her intellectual disability, stating that Sharon is prone to manipulation.

Julio and Sharon were both charged with depraved indifference murder. He pleaded guilty and is currently serving a 55-year-sentence.