Campbell Mom pleads in daughter's death

KENNETT, Mo. - A Campbell, Mo., woman accused of murdering her 1-month-old daughter by strangling her was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison Wednesday.

Joanna A. Faucett, 26, entered an Alford plea on the Class A felony of second-degree murder before Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen Sharp, according to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Sokoloff.

An Alford plea, Sokoloff said, is a "guilty plea, just a technical guilty plea.

"Basically, she pleads guilty, while ultimately denying the conduct, but acknowledging that there is sufficient evidence that likely she would be convicted" at trial.

Faucett was accused of causing the death of her daughter by strangling her on April 29, 2009.

Sokoloff said the plea was something he and Faucett's attorney, Charles Hirth with the Public Defender's Office, had been working toward for a while.

"Mr. Hirth and I had had some conversations," said Sokoloff, who also "visited" with the infant's father, Daniel Faucett, and paternal grandparents Tuesday. "They agreed, so she pled for 19."

After accepting Faucett's plea, Sharp followed Sokoloff's recommendation in sentencing Faucett to 19 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

"I had previously made a 20-year offer, and agreed to come off of that by a year," Sokoloff said. "It was a number he could sell his client, and from my standpoint, it was not that much different than 20."

The charge is an "85 percenter," said Sokoloff, which means Faucett will have to serve 85 percent of her sentence before she is eligible for parole.

Sokoloff believes Faucett's plea was a good resolution to the case.

"There were a number of issues involved in the case, which made this a good resolution for everyone involved," Sokoloff said.

According to earlier reports, the infant, who Faucett reported feeding at about 2 a.m., had been found dead in her crib at about 7 a.m. by her mother.

Authorities later learned Faucett had not been truthful about what had happened to the child, who was one of a set of triplets. The other infants were not at the home at the time of the incident.

When questioned again, Faucett reported her daughter would not stop crying or take her formula at 2 a.m.

"Joanna stated that she was tired and became angry at (the infant), and when she would not stop crying, she strangled (her)," Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Scott Rawson said in his probable cause affidavit.

Faucett, Rawson said, further admitted she put her daughter back in her crib, and then she went back to sleep.

"Joanna stated that when she put (her daughter) into her crib, she already knew she was dead," Rawson said.