Mich. mom pleads guilty to abuse of autistic daughter
September 2, 2014 - 12:32 pm
BEULAH, Mich. — A northern Michigan woman accused of trying to kill her autistic daughter has pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse.
Benzie County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Tang-Anderson says Kelli Stapleton entered the plea Tuesday morning. Stapleton had been scheduled to go on trial Wednesday on a charge of attempted murder.
Tang-Anderson says no sentencing date was set. The maximum punishment for the charge is life in prison.
The 46-year-old Stapleton is accused of trying to kill herself and her teenage daughter last year by carbon monoxide poisoning by igniting charcoal grills inside a van.
Isabelle was 14 at the time. She has severe autism and sometimes has violent outbursts.
Stapleton’s blog had chronicled the challenges her family faced while caring for her.