A West Michigan woman will spend the rest of her life behind bars for the death of her 10-year-old daughter after a judge Wednesday handed down the sentence.
31-year-old Tatiana Fusari had already been found guilty of murder and first-degree child abuse after her daughter Mary. Prosecutors say the baby died of dehydration and malnourishment—and had been left in her crib unattended for 17 hours before the discovery of her lifeless body. At the time of her death, authorities say Mary had gained just one pound in the 10-months-since her birth.
Fusari had pleaded no-contest in in 2020 to second-degree murder, but withdrew that plea, deciding to take her case before a jury. During the trial, she testified that her husband had abused her, which ultimately lead to the baby’s death. Jurors found that argument to at least be not enough of an excuse, and found her guilty of first-degree-murder, which carries with it a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Her husband Seth Welch has already been convicted of murder and life in prison for Mary’s death in January of 2020. Prosecutors say it took the parents 90 minutes before they dialed 911—noting the indifference in Seth’s voice when a dispatcher asked how they were holding up.
His answer? “Just another day. It is what it is.”
