South Dakota woman sentenced in 1981 death of infant son [View all]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota judge on Thursday sentenced a woman to 10 years in the state prison system for her infant son's 1981 death that went unsolved for decades.

Judge Bradley Zell called the sentencing of 60-year-old Theresa Bentaas a difficult decision that he belabored for weeks, in part because it was not clear whether her son died from complications during birth or abandonment in the South Dakota cold. Zell suspended nine years of the sentence, meaning Bentaas will likely spend two months in state prison and serve the rest of her time under community supervision.

“This is a terribly sad and difficult human event which now needs to be brought to conclusion,” Zell said, acknowledging that the sentence was likely a bitter pill for both Bentaas' family that had begged for her to go free and community members who had pressed for a strict punishment.

Bentaas had entered an “Alford plea” to a first-degree manslaughter charge, meaning that she maintained her innocence but agreed to be sentenced as convicted guilty. Prosecutors dropped first- and second-degree murder charges in the plea deal.

Read more: https://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/south-dakota-woman-sentenced-in-1981-death-of-infant-son/article_13edbb15-7a3d-5144-b5cc-641b893226ce.html