Woman gets 8 years in prison for leaving kids home alone :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Chicago Crime
A 29-year-old South Side woman was sentenced to eight years in prison today for leaving her children home alone on the night a fire killed two of her daughters.
Erika Ramirez was accused of leaving her home to watch a pool game. She was sentenced by Cook County Judge Marcus Salone after pleading guilty to endangering a life of a child, according to court personnel.
Killed in the late December fire were Perla Gonzalez, 6, and Carla Gonzalez, 9.
Two others children, brother Victor Ramirez, 11, and Esmeralda Gonzalez, 7, were rescued by police officers.
Investigators suspected an overloaded electrical outlet was the cause of the fire, which might have started after one of the children plugged in a space heater in the basement apartment in the 7200 block of South Troy.
While she was out, Ramirez received a text message from one of the children indicating that the apartment was cold. They were instructed to plug in a heater, prosecutors said.
No smoke detectors were found in the basement apartment or on the first floor of the building. The law requires smoke detectors on every floor of a residence in Chicago.
A 29-year-old South Side woman was sentenced to eight years in prison today for leaving her children home alone on the night a fire killed two of her daughters.
Erika Ramirez was accused of leaving her home to watch a pool game. She was sentenced by Cook County Judge Marcus Salone after pleading guilty to endangering a life of a child, according to court personnel.
Killed in the late December fire were Perla Gonzalez, 6, and Carla Gonzalez, 9.
Two others children, brother Victor Ramirez, 11, and Esmeralda Gonzalez, 7, were rescued by police officers.
Investigators suspected an overloaded electrical outlet was the cause of the fire, which might have started after one of the children plugged in a space heater in the basement apartment in the 7200 block of South Troy.
While she was out, Ramirez received a text message from one of the children indicating that the apartment was cold. They were instructed to plug in a heater, prosecutors said.
No smoke detectors were found in the basement apartment or on the first floor of the building. The law requires smoke detectors on every floor of a residence in Chicago.