Mother sentenced in child’s overdose
A mother who routinely gave her children illegal opioids to calm them down or make them sleep was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for the resulting overdose death of her 3year-old daughter last year.
The case of Margarita Balderas, 34, sharpens the opioid crisis to a disturbing point.
Balderas and her boyfriend, Darrell Rayshawn Woodson, 35, were charged in February with second-degree reckless homicide of London Woodson in 2016, after their older children — removed from the home after the death — told other adults the defendants routinely gave them drugs the parents called “chill pills” and “sleep pills.”
A search of Balderas’ phone showed that Woodson used it to manage his Facebook page, over which he advertised “erks” for sale, oxycodone and Percocet pills, which the couple kept around their home in the 4600 block of N. 71st St. and sold to customers who came there.
The complaint charged that on the day of London’s death, she had been left with her 14year-old sister, who had been told by her father to watch London’s breathing closely because he had to go out. When her baby sister was limp, sweating and struggling to breathe and urinating on her, the older girl called her mother, who told her London was probably just having a bad dream.
The girl called Woodson, who returned to the house and started CPR on London while the older girl called 911. An ambulance took London to the hospital, but she never regained brain activity and was disconnected from life support three days later.
An autopsy showed she died of mixed drug toxicity, from oxycodone and trazodone.
In September, Balderas pleaded guilty to neglecting a child, resulting in death. Woodson made the same plea last month. His sentencing is Dec. 21.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson recommended a prison sentence but left the length up to the judge. He called London’s death completely preventable.
“There should be no safer place for a child than in their own home,” he said.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Carolina Stark imposed four years of extended supervision after the 10-year prison sentence and said Balderas can have no contact with Woodson even though they share some children.
“You made really dangerous decisions together,” Stark said.