A Florida woman who gagged her autistic 11-year-old stepdaughter so tightly it killed her will spend the rest of her life behind bars.
A jury took just over two hours to convict Misty Stoddard of the first-degree murder of Melissa Stoddard.
The girl had been tied to a wooden plank with her mouth duct-taped shut and ultimately suffocated
The pair had only lived in the same house for five months before the tragedy occurred in December 2012.
The 11-year-old had been sent to live with her father and his second wife Misty for protection after being “touched” by her brother while living at her mother’s house, according to the Herald Tribune.
The wooden board which Melissa was tied against was shown in court.
Defense lawyers said the board was used by Melissa’s father, Kenneth, to act out sexual bondage fantasies with his wife.
Misty Stoddard claimed she was tied up and abused against her will and that was why her DNA was found on the board.
She also claimed that Melissa was only tied up twice amid fears she might become violent around her parents’ newborn child.
However, it was found that Melissa was covered in bruises at the time of her death and once went to school with stitches above an eyebrow.
First-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence in Florida.
Kenneth Stoddard has been charged with manslaughter, battery and tampering with evidence and will go on trial in August.
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