The mother of an 8-year-old Hayward girl whose body was found decomposing in a Merced home was sentenced Thursday to nearly 16 years in prison.
Samantha Johnson, 34, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and two counts of child abuse causing great bodily injury. Prosecutors dropped a murder charge, and a Merced County Superior Court judge sentenced her to 15 years and eight months, according to the Bay Area News Group.
The case stems from the death of Sophia Mason, whose body was found March 11, 2022, in a Merced home bathroom after relatives reported her missing. Authorities said she had been dead for more than a month…