A long-running San Antonio child neglect case that stunned doctors, detectives and courtroom observers finally reached its conclusion Friday, when a Bexar County judge handed a 20-year prison term to Jennifer Marie Delgado.
Delgado, now 38, took a plea deal in the 2018 case involving her severely malnourished 6-year-old child. On Friday, that agreement translated into the stiffest punishment the court was allowed to impose under the deal.
Judge Hits Plea Deal Ceiling With 20-Year Term
Judge Christine Del Prado of the 227th District Court sentenced Delgado to 20 years in prison, the maximum allowed under her plea agreement, according to KSAT. Court records show Delgado accepted the plea last fall after being charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury with intent.
The sentence caps a turbulent prosecution that stretched across years and included a high-profile mistrial in late 2023.
A 19-Pound 6-Year-Old In Crisis
Delgado was arrested in late 2018 after she brought her then-6-year-old child to a CHRISTUS Children’s emergency room. At the time, local reporting described the child as weighing about 19 pounds and suffering from bedsores, severe tooth decay and hair loss, details that came from the original police affidavit and were reported by the San Antonio Express-News…