Poole gets 40 years for nephew's death

For killing her small, young nephew and lying about it afterward, a Minneapolis woman will be sentenced to 40 years in prison, nearly triple the normal sentence for her guilty plea to second-degree unintentional murder.

Carla Poole, 37, entered her plea Thursday before Judge Margaret Daly. She will be sentenced on July 18. She offered no explanation for her actions.

Her lawyer, Rick Trachy, said Poole is sorry and demonstrated that by entering the plea and sparing 4-year-old Demond Reed's Chicago-based family a trial. "You can't demonstrate remorse any better than through her actions," Trachy said after the court session.

Poole didn't intend to kill Reed, but her behavior was an "emotional response to a situation" and "what she did after that was out of panic and a whole host of cascading bad decisions," Trachy said.

In February, Poole was caring for Reed while his father served a short jail term. After Reed soiled his pants, Poole beat him brutally while two of her children held him down, according to the complaint. Instead of calling 911 and getting him help, she allowed him to lie on a bed without aid for a couple of days. She then double-bagged his bitten and bruised body and stuffed him into a closet. She lied about his whereabouts, telling police a friend had taken him. Eventually, her 11-year-old child told police the true story.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said the long sentence reflects the level of depravity of the crime.

"This is an appropriate length of sentence for just a horrific crime," he said.

Freeman noted only first-degree premeditated murderers go away for longer -- life without parole -- than what Poole will serve. The aggravating factors of the boy's young age and fragility "enhanced" the sentence.

With good behavior, the 37-year-old could be released in 27 years.

The plea averts a gruesome, heart-wrenching trial.

"She did not want to have a trial. She did not want to put her family and Demond's through that. It's horrible in a case like this," Trachy said.

Freeman also said, "No one should have to go through this kind of trial."

Trachy said Poole caused Reed's death, but she did not intend to kill him.

Freeman said, "We don't know the motive for this crime. We probably never will."

A separate action will proceed in juvenile court to terminate Poole's parental rights to her four children. Although she had some contact with child protection workers before this incident, there had been no findings of maltreatment.

She has been held on $1 million bond. Initially, Poole was on suicide watch, but no more.