A woman accused of fatally beating a Texas baby in December 2018 has been convicted of capital murder and sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole.
NBC KXAN reports that Shayla Boniello, 30, pleaded guilty to murder, the Milam County District Attorney said on Thursday morning.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Boniello admitted that she punched, slapped, shook, and squeezed 1-year-old Patricia “Annie” Rader out of frustration. Boniello confessed that she assaulted the baby until she stopped moving.
Rader reportedly sustained extensive injuries, including lacerations, knots, and bruising all over her body. Court documents stated that Boniello confessed to squeezing the girl for three minutes, “until she felt her bones begin to pop and crush,” according to an affidavit.
Emergency crews responded to the baby’s grandfather’s home in Rockdale on December 3, 2018, following reports of an unresponsive child. She was pronounced dead at the residence.
The same day, Boniello was arrested and charged with child endangerment. A day later, she was charged with capital murder.
Annie’s grandfather had temporary custody of the child when the murder occurred. According to KXAN, the grandfather was in a relationship with Boniello, who had moved in with him after the pair met on a dating site.
According to the Facebook page, “Justice for Annie,” the baby’s family members were not happy with Boniello’s sentencing and instead, wanted her to get the death penalty.
“Our family is disappointed with the fact that the death penalty was taken off the table, life in prison isn’t a severe enough penalty for what was done to Annie.”
Rachel Bond, the great-aunt of Annie, told ABC 25 that since Bonielo “showed Annie absolutely no mercy whatsoever,” the killer shouldn’t receive mercy either.
According to The Eagle, however, the prosecution reviewed the case and determined that Boniello has a traumatic brain injury and a nonviolent past. Those two factors played into the decision to give her life in prison instead of death.
“Boniello’s nonviolent past and traumatic brain injury would render any death verdict insufficient and thus be reversed on appeal,” Milam County District Attorney Bill Torrey.
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[Featured Photo: Shayla Angeline Boniello/Milam County Sheriff’s Office; Patricia Ann Rader/Facebook]
