Semeria Greene from Detroit was sentenced to at least 23 years in prison on Monday for fatally stabbing her 8-year-old daughter, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Wayne County Judge Margaret Van Houten said the "system failed" 8-year-old Tameria Greene, whom a court had refused to remove from the home despite allegations of abuse, DFP reported.
Houten sentenced Greene under a plea deal between prosecutors and defense lawyers, according to the DFP. Greene, 27, apologized for killing the girl, telling the judge in a soft voice that her death was an "accidental mistake," adding that she misses her daughter.
Greene pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder and will be eligible for parole after 23 years in prison with a maximum stay of 50 years, the DFP reported.
The Michigan Department of Human Services tried to immediately remove Tameria and four siblings from the home in November 2012 but Family Court Referee Richard Smart declined, suggesting instead that their mother should move out in the short term or place the children elsewhere, the DFP reported. Tameria was killed only five weeks after the state didn't appeal the Smart's decision.
The detailed petition presented to Smart said Tameria had been bitten by her mother on her hand, forearm and face, according to the DFP. The agency said there were multiple marks and bruises elsewhere.
The Department of Human Services and Smart declined to comment about his handling of the custody case, the DFP reported.
The judge noted that experts found depression but not bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, even though the criminal case has lasted more than a year due to delays related to Greene's mental health, according to the DFP.
Defense attorney Cornelius Pitts didn't refer to specific mental conditions but said Greene was "born with a deficit that cannot be overcome," adding that "Ms. Greene is the victim of the system," according to the DFP.
