Woman leaves children unattended- fire results in death, gets lesser guilty verdict, faces only 1-4 years

By Men's Activism News | Source | February 9, 2010

Story here. Excerpt:

'Nicole C. Allen wept tears of joy Monday night when she was convicted of a lesser homicide charge for causing severe burns to her three children — one of whom later died — by leaving them alone so she could buy beer.

She mouthed the words "Thank you" to a state Supreme Court jury of seven men and five women when they found her guilty of a low-level felony of criminally negligent homicide after acquitting her of a more-serious felony of second-degree manslaughter.

Allen, 22, stood and wept on the shoulder of her lawyer, Dianne C. Russell, as the verdict was announced after jurors deliberated more than 5 ½ hours.

The jury also convicted Allen of three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

She faces a penalty ranging from probation to a prison term of up to 1 1/3 to four years when Justice Francis A. Affronti sentences her Feb. 23.

Had she been convicted of manslaughter, she could have received a prison term of up to five to 15 years.'