A mother in Ohio could spend life in prison for trading her 11-year-old daughter to her drug dealer in exchange for heroin.
April Corcoran pleaded guilty last month to 10 felony charges after admitting that she sexually trafficked the girl to get drugs, according to WLWT.
On Tuesday, she received 51 years to life in prison.
After the sex acts, some of which her dealer filmed, prosecutors say Corcoran would give her daughter some heroin as a reward. She also tried to make the girl look younger than 11, as her dealer liked younger children.
April Corcoran is seen in court on Tuesday, July 19.
Prosecutor Katherine Pridemore said Tuesday she could hardly believe that the 30-year-old had traded her child for a high, according to the New York Daily News.
"We all know drugs make you do things but at the same time, to offer up your child and you are the mother, it's unfathomable.”
Corcoran's lawyer, James Bogan, said his client rejected a plea deal because she wanted to take responsibility and didn't want her daughter to have to testify, WCPO reported.
But Judge Leslie Ghiz had little sympathy in court Tuesday, saying her heart broke for the girl, whose mother "threw her under a bus."
"She deserves to die in prison."
"It's just awe inspiring that you can stand here and in all of this, the one thing I haven't heard is asking for her forgiveness," she told Corcoran in court.
"She deserves to die in prison," Pridemore said, as quoted by WCPO.
The victim now lives in another state with family, according to WKRC. Ghiz said that she is taking medication and has suicidal thoughts.
The 11-year-old's grandmother, Sylvia Corcoran, said in court that she had viewed video of the girl's rape and was stunned.
"I saw my granddaughter. I heard her small voice. It was horrific, very horrific. How could she do this? How could she do this? I don't know if my granddaughter is going to be able to have a normal life."
The alleged dealer, Shandell Willingham, also faces 26 felony charges including rape and trafficking in persons, according to the Daily News. He is set to appear in court August 10.
Corcoran has also been classified as a Tier III sex offender, according to WLWT.
Also on HuffPost
