08-24-2011, 02:41 PM
they were lucky. i don't yet know if the father spoke at hearing, it just came down.
BUSHNELL — A reptile-loving couple accused of failing to protect a toddler who was killed by an 8-foot-6-inch pet python were just sentenced, with Charles "Jason" Darnell and his girlfriend Jaren Hare both receiving 12 years in prison.
Each faced a possible 45 years in prison for manslaughter and child neglect. They turned down a pretrial plea offer that would have capped their prison time at 10 years.
In addition, Darnell, 34, and Hare, 21, each will have to serve five years of probation upon their release from prison. They were sentenced this afternoon by Circuit Judge William "Bud" Hallman in the constriction death of Shaianna Rose Hare, Hare's 2-year-old daughter, who died in her crib.