SARASOTA COUNTY Fla. (WWSB) - The girlfriend of an Englewood man, sentenced last June for smothering his son, was sentenced today to 13 years in prison.
According to the state, Ashley Cole initiated the "squishing" of 6-year-old James "Jimmy" Dearman because he was bothering her and her boyfriend while they played video games.
Ashley Cole's attorney gave one final plea to lower her sentence from the maximum of 30 years this morning. The judge also considered a doctor's 15-page mental evaluation of Cole and heard one last time from both the prosecution and defense.
An emotional Cole told the judge, "I'm just scared and I just want to spend the rest of my life doing something good. And I just wanted to continue to do the right thing."
In the end, Cole was sentenced to 13 years in prison followed by 5 years of probation. As part of the judge's sentence, Cole is required to undergo a mental health and drug evaluation as well as a sixteen week anger management course.
James Dearman, the victim's father, has already been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and 10 years of probation. He testified against Cole as part of a plea deal.
According to investigators, Dearman made his son and 7-year-old sibling stand with their faces to the wall. When his son turned to look at the television, Dearman got angry and brought the child to the couch where he forced him to lie on his side and face the rear cushions.
Dearman then used his body weight to pin his son down while he and his girlfriend continued to play video games. His son screamed that he couldn't breathe and begged to use the bathroom eventually urinating on the couch and becoming unconscious. Dearman and his girlfriend left the child on the couch, went to the garage to smoke a cigarette and later called 911.
