York County Mother Gets 15 To 30 Years In Drug-Fueled Slaying Of 3-Year-Old Daughter

YORK, Pa. (CBS/AP) — A Jackson Township mother who pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder in the drug-fueled slaying of her 3-year-old girl has been sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison. Thirty-three-year-old Regina Lester was sentenced Friday in York County in the June 2016 death of Isabel Godfrey at the Chesapeake Estates mobile home park.

Expert witnesses said she was experiencing psychosis from taking a toxic combination of drugs.

Lester read a statement saying she cries at night and will miss her daughter for the rest of her life.

Defense attorney Suzanne Smith sought an eight- to 16-year term, saying she could still be a valuable part of her sons' lives.

Prosecutors sought the maximum 20- to 40-year term, saying her choices resulted in the child's death.

(©Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)