Fayette judge delays sentence for mother in baby’s death
Fayette County Judge Linda R. Cordaro said she couldn’t sentence Jessica Burkholder on Tuesday because she was a prosecutor when the case was filed.
Burkholder, 29, of Redstone Township had pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child for not seeking prompt medical care for her daughter, 20-month-old Caylee Jo Burkholder.
The toddler died in 2013 after her father, Domer Burkholder, 30, of North Union Township, punched her in the abdomen. The couple did not seek medical care for their daughter for one day.
The told police they were concerned that if they did, Children and Youth Services would take their children.
Cordaro, who has been a judge since the beginning of 2014, was a child abuse prosecutor in 2013 when the child was killed. She accepted Jessica Burkholder’s plea in December, but declined to sentence her because of the potential for conflict.
Jessica Burkholder’s sentence was to call for six to 23 months of intermediate punishment, which could include house arrest or a similar punishment.
Domer Burkholder pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child, and is serving 20 to 40 years in prison.