Sam Fosness, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.February 1, 2022, 9:01 PM·3 min readIn this article:

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• Jimmy Carter39th U.S. President

Feb. 2—"I'd like to say to the family and friends of Mateo, and Mateo, that I am sorry. That word means nothing to you, I know."

Those were the opening remarks that Julia Carter made Tuesday to the family and friends of the late 5-year-old boy who Carter killed on June 23, 2020, by stomping on his abdomen. She received a 22-year prison sentence for the first-degree manslaughter while mentally ill charge she recently pleaded guilty to in connection to the death of the young boy.

Carter, 23, of Mitchell, was sentenced to 40 years in prison with 18 years suspended for the first-degree manslaughter while mentally ill. She addressed the family before her sentence.

"As a mother, if I was going through what you were going through, I'd feel the same way. You have that right to hate me," an emotional Carter said to the family of the 5-year-old victim at Tuesday's sentencing hearing. "I am truly sorry, and nothing I can do can bring him back."

An autopsy revealed the boy died from blunt force trauma to the abdomen area of his body. According to an arrest affidavit, Carter admitted during an interview with investigators to kicking the boy in the stomach five times and stomping him in the abdomen once.

Addressing the victim's mother during Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Carter said "you have the divine right to hate me and feel the way you do."

For Carter's sentence, Judge Chris Giles followed the terms and conditions of the plea agreement that Carter recently struck with Davison County State's Attorney Jim Miskimins, the lead prosecutor in the case.

While Carter maintained her not guilty plea throughout the

past two years since she was arrested for killing the boy, she recently changed course on Dec. 13

by pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter while mentally ill.

In South Dakota, first-degree manslaughter carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. However, Brooke Laufer, a clinical psychologist based out of Evanston, Illinois, recently evaluated Carter and diagnosed her with bipolar, post-traumatic stress and post traumatic depression disorders. That appeared to have played a role in the terms outlined in the plea agreement since it asked the court to give Carter a sentence of 40 years in prison with 18 years suspended for the manslaughter charge while mentally ill.

(editor：)