BANGOR, Maine — A Maine woman who killed her 2½-year-old daughter nearly two years ago will be sentenced Thursday at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
Leanna Norris, 25, of Auburn, formerly of Stetson, was convicted in December of murder after a jury-waived trial.
The prosecution will recommend she spend 45 years behind bars, according to its sentencing memorandum.
The defense team is expected to urge the judge to impose a much lesser sentence, closer to the 25-year-mandatory minimum.
Norris repeatedly admitted to investigators that on the evening of June 23, 2013, she gave her daughter, Loh Melody Grenda, three times the normal dose of an antihistamine, put duct tape over her mouth and nose, then smothered her with a blanket so she would not have to watch her die, according to trial testimony.
The mother then took the rest of the antihistamine and swallowed 200 Advil pills in a suicide attempt.
Norris pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but Superior Court Justice Ann Murray concluded that “Ms. Norris knew right from wrong and had the ability to apply her knowledge of right from wrong to the action she took when killing Loh.”
The judge also concluded that “while Ms.Norris’ judgment was impaired, all of the facts set forth above reflect the behavior and actions of someone who has a perception and understanding of reality that is not grossly or demonstrably impaired.”
Assistant Attorneys General Leane Zainea and Deb Cashman said in their memorandum that “the aggravating factors are significant.” They include the effect on the toddler’s father and grandparents, the breach of trust between a mother and her child and the suffering Loh endured when her mother suffocated her.
“One can only imagine the absolute fear that Loh must have experienced before she died,” prosecutors wrote. “The terror and dread that Loh experienced is a significant aggravating factor.”
The mitigating factors include Norris’ age, her mental status and emotional immaturity at the time of her daughter’s death, her lack of criminal history and the support she has from family members, the prosecution’s memorandum said.
Efforts to obtain a copy of the defense’s sentencing memorandum were unsuccessful Wednesday. Calls to defense attorneys Martha Harris and Audrey Braccio were not returned.
Norris faces between 25 years and life in prison. She would have been committed to Riverview Psychiatric Hospital in Augusta if Murray had found her not guilty by reason of insanity.
The defendant has been held without bail at the Penobscot County Jail since her arrest July 3, 2013, when she was released from a psychiatric ward at a Rockport hospital.
To reach a suicide prevention hot line, call 888-568-1112 or 800-273-TALK (8255), or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.