SANDY, Utah — A Sandy mother who was charged in connection to the death of her young son in 2019 was sentenced to prison on Monday.
Reyna Flores-Rosales will spend five years to life in state prison for the charge of first-degree felony reckless child abuse homicide, one to 15 years for each of the two counts of second-degree felony intentional child abuse and zero to five years for third-degree felony reckless aggravated child abuse.
All sentences will run consecutively.
"Today’s sentence is what we as a community can do for the tragic loss of Norlin’s life," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill in a statement. "No amount of time will be long enough for the crime this defendant committed and the manner in which she did it. My office will send a letter to the Board of Pardons and Parole requesting Ms. Flores-Rosales be kept in prison as long as possible."
In March 2019, police and fire crews were called to a Sandy home where Rosales reported she found her son, Norlin Cruz, unresponsive on the floor of a shower.
When responders arrived, they found Norlin had no pulse and wasn't breathing.
Further investigation revealed he suffered "multiple injuries and scars" on his body, FOX 13 News previously reported, including deep wounds, cuts and scrapes across his entire body.
Cruz was taken to Primary Children's Hospital, where he later died. A CT scan revealed significant head trauma, which medical experts told police had no "accidental explanation."
An investigation revealed people suspected the child had been abused and has previously reported Rosales to the Division of Child and Family Services.
Gill described the case as one of the "worst cases of child abuse" that he had seen in his nearly 28 years as a prosecutor.
"This defendant abused her child with intentional, heinous, and repeated violence," a statement reads in part. "The level of callous, humiliating, and gratuitous violence inflicted here demanded the most severe punishment. No one who was a part of this prosecution was left unmoved by what was revealed through the investigation and prosecution."
