A Texas mother who left her two toddlers inside a hot car to die last summer will spend 20 years behind bars after a Parker County jury gave her the maximum time allowed for her crimes.
New York Post reports that Cynthia Marie Randolph, 25, learned her on Monday inside a Parker County, where she stood accused of two felony counts of “recklessly causing injury to a child.” She originally faced the more severe charges of knowingly causing injury to a child but Parker County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Swain said that Randolph didn’t have “criminal intent” when she left her two toddlers inside her her 2010 Honda Crosstour.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Randolph left her two kids, Juliet, 2, and 1-year-old Cavanaugh, inside the vehicle on May 26 for at least three hours, with the outside temperature reaching over 96 degrees. Both kids were found unresponsive inside the vehicle, but both died shortly after.
Initially, Randolph told police that her children “took off” and locked themselves in the car. After detectives questioned her further, she changed her story numerous times. A police report indicated that Randolph eventually confessed she left her daughter in the car after the toddler refused to get out, as a way to teach her a lesson.
“She shut the car door to teach her daughter a ‘lesson,’ thinking, ‘she could get herself and her brother out of the car when ready. Randolph then told investigators she went into her home, smoked marijuana and went to sleep for two to three hours.” According to testimony, Randolph watched “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” on television before taking her nap.
Upon further questioning, Randolph reportedly admitted that she broke one of her car windows to “make it look like an accident.”
WFAA reports that Child Protective Services (CPS) had previous contact with Randolph before the children’s death, but the details are currently disclosed.
Texas remains the leading state in hot car deaths involving children. According to the Department of Meteorology & Climate Science at San Jose State University, a total of seven children in Texas died while trapped in a hot car in 2017. A total of 14 children nationwide have died in hot cars in 2017.
[Feature Photo: Cynthia Randolph and her children/ Parker County Police/Family Handout]
