Sentencing hearings continue for a Dallas mother who beat her 2-year-old daughter and glued her hands to a wall as potty training punishment.
23-year-old Elizabeth Escalona could spend the rest of her life in prison.
On Tuesday, law enforcement officials from Dallas, Farmers Branch, and Dallas Independant School District testified about past run-ins with Escalona.
Dallas police officers described responding to a fight sometime after Escalona posted bond for her arrest, before an investigator from Farmers Branch testified that Escalona was a known gang member.
A DISD police officer said he dealt with Escalona when she was a minor. Escalona never made it past the eigth grade.
Escalona's mother, Ofelia Escalona, took the stand and pleaded for the judge to sentence her daughter to probation.
"Your honor, my daughter made a mistake. She's not a monster, she needs help. I wish, as a mother, that I had done more to protect my daughter," said Ofelia Escalona, amid tears. "I take responsibility for what I didn't do to help her. She's been hurt enough, there's five children out there, that need to be helped, support. At the moment I'm not receiving any kind of financial support. I am asking you sir, for probation on behalf of my daughter. She needs to work, help support these children. She can be fit. She's not a monster, your honor."
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Doctors say the torture that the 2-year-old endured at the hands of her mom put her in a coma for several days. The doctor who saved the toddler's life testified on Monday and shared why she believes Escalona should spend the rest of her life behind bars.
"The entire picture was very shocking. I see a lot of children. This was one of the worst, shocking cases that I've seen," said Dr. Amy Barton, a former pediatrician at Children’s Medical Center.
Barton fought back tears while testifying. It's been more than a year since she first saw two-year-old Joselyn Cedillo in intensive care. She says the toddler was brought into the emergency room on September 7, 2011 with extensive bruising. The little girl was clinging to life.
"The child was brought in by a private vehicle with extensive trauma. It looked like the child had been abused and wasn't sure the child was going to make it. She had bruising on her belly," said Barton.
Barton also showed pictures of the little girl's injuries during the sentencing hearing.
Abel Lopez, one of the first detectives with Dallas police who was called on September 7, presented photographs from inside the home.
The photos showed tubes of super glue on the kitchen counter allegedly used on Cedillo. Prosecutors also entered into evidence a piece of the wall that showed Cedillo's glued handprints.
Police say Escalona was so mad that her daughter soiled her pants, as punishment, she super glued the girl’s hands to the wall then beat her in front of her other siblings.
Escalona’s kids told investigators their mother kicked the girl in the stomach and repeatedly hit her.
The girl did recover after the beating in September 2011, and the state took custody of her and Escalona’s other kids.
Escalona did plead guilty to First Degree Injury to a Child for the potty training punishment. Now, the judge could sentence Escalona from 5 years to life in prison.
On Wednesday, Escalona may take the stand. It is also expected she will get her sentence.
NBC 5's Ray Villeda, Kendra Lyn and Andres Gutierrez contributed to this report. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
