KANSAS CITY (AP) — A woman who drowned her 8-year-old son in a bathtub and tried to suffocate a second child before jumping off a bridge in Kansas City was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison.
Aushena Warren, 34, of Kansas City pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder and first-degree assault.
Investigators said Warren drowned her 8-year-old son on June 17, 2017, and tried to smother her 6-year-old son. The children's father was at work at the time and came home after receiving a FaceTime call from the 6-year-old, prosecutors said.
Warren jumped from the Kit Bond bridge later that day but was rescued by Kansas City fire personnel who were conducting rescue training near the bridge,'
Warren left a note apologizing and blaming her actions on the family's financial situation, which she feared would force she and her husband to give the children to family or “the system.”
Warren’s attorney argued for probation, saying that she had mental health issues.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd urged the court to impose a life sentence.
Warren was sentenced to life for the 8-year-old's death and 15 years in prison for assault of the 6-year-old child.