An Alabama judge on Monday formally sentenced Joyce Garrard to life in prison for the death of her 9-year-old granddaughter, AL.com reported.
A jury previously recommended the sentence of life in prison without parole. The judge formalized that sentence, and Garrard told the court she accepted the sentence, AL.com reported.
On March 20, the 49-year-old woman was convicted of the capital murder in the death of Savannah Hardin. A judge will formally sentence Garrard, who was eligible for the death penalty, in May.
A woman in Alabama is accused of forcing her 9-year-old granddaughter to run carrying sticks and firewood for three hours, causing the girl's death, prosecutors in Etowah County said Monday.
Joyce Garrard, 49, is charged with murder in the 2012 death of her granddaughter, Savannah Hardin. Her trial began Monday, and if convicted, she faces life in prison or death.
In opening statements, prosecutors said Garrard had been trying to punish the girl for lying about eating candy on the school bus, the Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors plan to call neighbors to the witness stand who have said Garrard ran the girl "like some kind of a drill sergeant" even after the girl begged her to stop and began to vomit, the AP reported.
Paramedics were called after the girl collapsed, and she died three days later. An autopsy showed she was dehydrated and had low sodium levels, al.com reported.
The girl's stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, is also facing a murder charge related to her death. Prosecutors said she did nothing to intervene.
