Carol Stream woman sentenced to 10 years for trying to poison toddler
A Carol Stream woman who put nail polish remover into her 17-month-old stepdaughter's milk was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.
Andrea Vazquez-Hernandez, 37, was convicted in July of two counts of aggravated battery and one count of attempted aggravated battery. She was sentenced Friday by DuPage County Judge Brian Telander.
"You did this to yourself," Telander told Vazquez-Hernandez before handing out the sentence. "It's just outrageous to do this to a 17-month-old child."
During Vazquez-Hernandez's trial, prosecutors argued that she tried to poison her stepdaughter after a dispute with her husband - Robert Clark - and the girl's mother.
Vazquez-Hernandez put about an inch of nail polish remover into the girl's sippy cup and mixed it with milk on May 29, 2016, while Clark and the girl were out of the house.
After returning home, Clark retrieved the cup and gave it to his daughter. The child immediately spit out the contents.
When he realized what was in the cup, Clark immediately took the girl to the hospital. She was examined and released, uninjured.
During Friday's hearing, Clark said he will never understand what was going through Vazquez-Hernandez's mind when she put the nail polish remover into his daughter's cup.
At the time of her arrest, Vazquez-Hernandez told police she thought the mixture would give the child diarrhea. Clark says he doesn't believe that claim.
"You are so selfish, Andrea," he said from the witness stand. "You gave my daughter poison."
He said their entire family, including their 7-year-old son, was harmed because of Vazquez-Hernandez's actions.
"I am grateful that she (the victim) is too young to remember," Clark said. "But I dread the day she finds out."
Assistant State's Attorney Lee Roupas said Vazquez-Hernandez was angry and trying to punish Clark and the girl's mother. He said Vazquez-Hernandez "acted with pure evil in her heart."
Roupas said Vazquez-Hernandez never showed remorse after her arrest and didn't express concern for the child.
"We are yet to hear a single 'I'm sorry' to the child or the parents," he said.
The apology came just moments before Vazquez-Hernandez was sentenced.
Through an interpreter, Vazquez-Hernandez said, "I am ashamed of my actions and I regret them."
After asking the parents for forgiveness, she said she's thankful the child is OK.
Vazquez-Hernandez has been held on $250,000 bail since her arrest. She will be required to serve half her sentence before being eligible for parole, officials said.
However, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement department has a hold on Vazquez-Hernandez. She's expected to be deported to Mexico after being released from prison.