Honk News- A mother from Alaska has been sentenced to decades in prison for the suffocation deaths of her infant daughters, occurring two years apart.
In July, Stephany Elizabeth Bilecki, 30, previously known as Stephany LaFountain, admitted guilt to two counts of second-degree murder related to the deaths of her 4-month-old and 13-month-old daughters.
On Monday afternoon, a Fairbanks courtroom saw Bilecki receive a sentence of 130 years in prison, with 85 years suspended. She has been sentenced to a total of 45 years in state prison.
Prosecutors agreed to drop two additional second-degree murder charges and two first-degree murder charges in return for her guilty plea.
In September 2015, the woman, who has since faced condemnation, reached out to her boyfriend and mother to share the tragic news: her 4-month-old daughter, Chyanne, had passed away, as detailed by prosecutors in a press release. Just ten minutes later, right before her mother showed up, the killer called 911.
A previously healthy little girl is believed to have died from sudden infant death syndrome. Authorities later concluded that her death resulted from injuries indicative of strangulation.
After two years, the murderer returned to claim another victim. The unfolding events would turn out to be strikingly alike.
In November 2017, with her husband away on deployment, she tried to reach him but ended up calling her in-laws instead. Bilecki has shared that her 13-month-old daughter, Jasmine, was found unresponsive. Just before the girl’s grandparents showed up, the mother dialed 911 once more.
This time, the investigation would be significantly more thorough and uncover crucial evidence of the crime.
Before making the phone calls, Bilecki reportedly searched online using various phrases related to methods of causing harm and evading detection, according to prosecutors.
A few days later, the second child passed away. An autopsy revealed that Jasmine died from insufficient oxygen supply.
As suspicions grew, investigators quickly realized that Bilecki was probably behind all the deaths, leading to the reopening of the original case.
In August 2018, a grand jury in Fairbanks indicted her.
“Just think about a mother killing both her children over two years, completely isolated events, and what that means, and what happens sometimes in our community, and sometimes just the evil that exists, that’s out there,” then-Fairbanks Police Department Chief Eric Jewkes said at the time.
Judge Patricia Haines of the Superior Court accepted the guilty plea during the summer, according to KTVF, noting that the defendant was “barely audible” while acknowledging her legal responsibility.
The state sought a sentence of 65 years for each murder, proposing to suspend 40 years for one count and 45 years for the other. The judge granted that request.
Upon her release, Bilecki will face a probation period of up to 10 years. She is prohibited from having unsupervised interactions with individuals under 16 in private settings.