A Colorado mother has been sentenced to 84 years in prison for the death of her 5-year-old daughter in 2023, according to authorities.
Alexus Tanielle Nelson, 28, pled guilty to three felonies on Wednesday, June 12: second-degree murder, tampering with a deceased corpse, and attempting to corrupt a public official, according to a press release. Nelson faced charges in connection with the death of her daughter, Maha Li Hobbs.
The child’s burnt remains were discovered in Nelson’s apartment on the 1000 block of S. Elkhart Street after the Aurora Police Department went to a welfare check.
Nelson’s mother requested the visit from police, claiming Nelson made “concerning statements” to her via text and that the grandmother had not heard or seen the youngster in around three weeks. When police arrived at Nelson’s home to do a welfare check, the mother said she had placed her child up for adoption.
Senior Deputy DA Kathleen Tierney noted, “There are many resources and legal ways for parents to surrender their children in the event that they are unable to care for them.”
“It’s both heartbreaking and appalling that a mother would kill her own child and then make up a bogus adoption story so family would believe the child is alive and well.”
However, when officials contacted Nelson’s adoption agency, they “claimed they had no contact or case file with Nelson or her daughter,” according to the release.
This led authorities back to Nelson’s house, where a detective noticed an odor emanating from a utility closet door on the apartment’s patio that smelt of decomposing flesh.
“Detectives discovered Nelson’s daughter’s burned remains inside a bag. “Bone fragments in ashes were also discovered inside Nelson’s fireplace,” the announcement stated.
On Wednesday, Nelson filed a guilty plea, vacating trial dates scheduled for later this month. One of the provisions of her plea agreement states that she will be unable to appeal in the future. “While we were fully prepared to take this case to trial, this plea protects Maha Li’s family from having to listen to painful, horrific, and gruesome testimony,” Chris Gallo, the chief deputy district attorney, said.
“Detectives with the Aurora Police Department were able to quickly punch holes in the defendant’s story which ultimately helped us quickly solve this case and bring justice to Maha Li’s family.”
alternative sources claimed that Nelson considered alternative possibilities for Maha before deciding on murder. “This mother knew about available adoption programs that could have cared for this 5-year-old, but instead, she chose murder,” people reported.
“While there is no way to fully comprehend what turned this mother into a monster, she deserves to spend several decades behind bars for the unspeakable crime she committed.”