Mom Who Failed to Intervene as Dad Stabbed Sons Gets 10 Years

By Juan Ortega, NBCMiami

Credit: Police Handout

Mom Who Failed to Intervene as Dad Stabbed Sons Gets 10 Years

November 10, 2012 Updated Nov 10, 2012 at 11:11 AM PDT

A Florida woman was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for doing nothing to intervene when her husband fatally stabbed one of their sons and wounded another.

Deanna Beauchamp De Jesus, 38, of Port Orange, pleaded guilty in her aggravated manslaughter case as part of an agreement struck with the Broward State Attorney’s Office. Her prison sentence will be followed by five years of probation.

Prosecutors faulted De Jesus for failing to act as a protector and intervene earlier this year, when her husband, William De Jesus, stabbed 9-year-old Josiah to death and tried to kill their other son, now 8, inside an RV in Deerfield Beach.

William De Jesus killed himself along with Josiah and Ovila Plante, 76, one of the owners of the RV that the killer randomly chose.

With Friday's 10-year sentence, De Jesus will receive credit for the time she served in jail.

At the time of his slaying, Josiah still required diapers and didn't speak, prosecutors said. The other son managed to survive by fighting back in a way his older brother could not.

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