Kimberly Martines, of Fingerville, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. (Spartansburg Sheriff's Office)
A South Carolina woman -- who admitted to murdering her baby by feeding the toddler a deadly amount of salt in a twisted plot to win her husband back -- was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison.
Kimberly Martines, of Fingerville, must serve 85 percent of her sentence before she is eligible for parole, FOX Carolina reported. The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to homicide by child abuse following her daughter’s death in July 2016.
Martines’ 17-month-old daughter, Peyton, arrived at the hospital with an inflated amount of sodium in her blood. The child, suffering from acute salt poisoning, died three days later after doctors took her off of life support.
Martines initially told investigators Peyton ingested large amounts of salt when the toddler and her twin sister got into a bag that was left on a bookcase. But Martines’ 4-year-old son later told officials he watched his mother feed his sister a spoonful of salt.
Police found a bag of salt under a sofa cushion.
Martines later confessed to giving her daughter the poison dose of salt to "get her husband back into her life” after the couple separated. She chose Peyton as her victim because she was near her at the time, FOX Carolina reported.
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