A Massachusetts father convicted of poisoning his 7-year-old daughter with Liquid-Plumr was sentenced to 16 to 18 years in prison.
Prosecutors say that in April 2015, Christopher Conley, of Northampton, injected the drain cleaner into his daughter's cecostomy tube, which is used to help people empty their bowels. He then overdosed her on pain medication, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office in western Massachusetts said in a press release.
Conley, 37, was found guilty Friday of attempted murder, assault and battery on a child by means of a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury.
A Hampshire Superior Court judge handed down the sentence on Monday, giving Conley credit for 891 days he already served behind bars, according to NBC Boston.
The girl had a cecostomy tube to treat constipation, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
After the poisoning, she suffered serious injuries and underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove over six feet of her intestines and a second procedure to remove a third of her bladder.
The child, now 12, was adopted after the incident. Before the father's sentencing on Monday, the adoptive mother read a victim impact statement saying her daughter sees a therapist to cope with what happened to her.
“She continues to deal with the unknown: the unknown of why this was done with her, the unknown of what she will have to face in the future, the unknown of whether her reproductive organs have been damaged and whether she will ever be able to have children of her own,” the woman said, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
“She now lives with multiple physical and emotional scars," the mother said. “She will live with these scars for the rest of her life.”
Child Abuse Unit Chief ADA Linda Pisano said after Conley was convicted that "the child got some justice today."
Conley's ex-wife, Julie Conley, was also charged and is scheduled for trial on March 9, according to The Republican.
