22-year-old sent to prison for beating newborn baby

An Aurora woman was sentenced to seven years in prison this week after admitting to severely beating her 1-month-old baby last year.

Chantriese Phillips, 22, of the 1600 block of Plum Street, was charged with aggravated battery of a child younger than 13, aggravated domestic battery and other felonies stemming from a May 2016 episode in which she was accused of beating her son, according to Kane County court records and police.

Prosecutors dismissed the most severe charges, which carried a top prison term of 30 years, in exchange for Phillips pleading guilty to aggravated domestic battery, a felony with a punishment ranging from probation to seven years.

Judge D.J. Tegeler approved the plea agreement Thursday.

The aggravated domestic battery charge accused Phillips of "great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to (the victim) in that she dropped, struck, shook or otherwise impacted the head and body of the (victim)," court records show.

Defense attorney Justin Sather said Phillips had no previous record, suffered from postpartum depression and had been the victim of domestic abuse. The baby, now about 14 months old, is in the custody of Phillips' husband and recovering from injuries although it is too early to tell what any long-term effects might be, Sather said.

"It was a tough case. It was sad all around," he said. "It's a fair resolution with all factors taken into consideration."

Phillips must serve 85 percent of her sentence and gets credit for time served at the Kane County jail where she had been held on $250,000 bail since her arrest.