LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The California mother accused of killing her son and dumping his body near a trail just outside of Las Vegas was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
A Clark County District Court judge declared Samantha Moreno-Rodriguez guilty on both counts of murder and child endangerment on Thursday morning, handing down a life sentence in Nevada Department of Corrections.
Seven-year-old Liam Husted's naked body was found on May 28 by a group of hikers near Mountain Springs. Moreno-Rodriguez was arrested days later in Denver, Colorado.
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The boy's father addressed the judge during court proceedings, saying he was appalled by Moreno-Rodriguez's "careless and self-centered actions."
"Why didn’t she call me for help? How could she strangle him and leave his lifeless body in the desert?" the father said. "These thoughts will haunt me for the rest of my life."
He continued, "The window of my truck still has [Liam's] tiny fingerprints behind it. My pain is too great to wash them off."
The mother and son lived in San Jose, California. Moreno-Rodriguez left a message for Husted's father saying that she planned to find another place for her and Liam to live.
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According to grand jury transcripts, she told police that she and her son were hiking and he wouldn't listen to her. She reportedly pushed him and he fell and hit his head. When he wouldn't stop screaming, Moreno-Rodriguez reportedly strangled him.
Husted was autistic and his mother described him as difficult to manage.
