New York mom sentenced to 18 years in 2-year-old daughter’s drowning death

NEW YORK — A New York mother convicted of manslaughter in the drowning death of her toddler daughter has been sentenced to an 18-year prison term, authorities said.

According to WPIX-TV, Lin Li, 28, of Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, was attempting to punish 2-year-old Melody Zheng in March 2016 when she held the girl's head down in a container of water, authorities said. When the child stopped moving, Li called emergency responders, who rushed the girl to a nearby hospital, WNBC-TV reported. The girl, who had suffered contusions and bruises, later died, the outlets reported.

In addition to the manslaughter charge, jurors found Li guilty of attempted assault for using the same method to punish her 4-year-old son, WNBC reported.

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