HOUSTON — A Houston woman was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2017 stabbing death of her 4-year-old daughter, District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Tuesday.
Laquita Lewis, 39, was originally charged with capital murder after she killed Fredricka Allen in their northwest Harris County apartment. If convicted on that charge, Lewis would have faced either the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Editor's note: The video above originally aired in 2017.
On the eve of her trial last week, Lewis pleaded guilty to murder. She will have to serve at least half of the 40-year sentence before she is eligible for parole.
“It is almost incomprehensible that a mother would brutally murder her own baby,” Ogg said. “This case was handled by experts in our mental health division to make sure justice was done, and we hope this result brings some closure to the father, siblings and other family members of little Fredricka Allen.”
After Lewis killed her daughter on Father's Day, she called Fredricka's dad to tell him the girl was now in heaven. He called law enforcement and rushed to the home to find his daughter dead.
“There’s not enough words to describe the horrible death of this child,” HCSO spokesperson Thomas Gilliland said at the scene.
'She was always happy'
Neighbors remembered Fredricka as a friendly little girl who always said "good morning."
“Yeah, she was always happy. She would always tell me that my dog was cute and everything,” Melody Medina told us the day after the murder.
Assistant District Attorney Jeff Matovich said the plea deal means that Lewis’ sons and the rest of her family will not have to testify in the case.
“It was important to Fredricka’s father that Laquita Lewis take responsibility for what she did,” Matovich said. “No one can bring back his daughter, but he was satisfied with this resolution, especially the fact that Lewis cannot appeal.”
No motive was given but prosecutors said Fredricka was killed after Lewis had a fight with her boyfriend and wrecked her car.
In 2016, Lewis was given probation after she threatened to kill her 16-year-old son.
