Ohio couple sentenced for locking woman in attic

CINCINNATI – An Ohio couple who locked the woman's mother in a sweltering attic for three days so the daughter could give birth were sentenced Thursday on abduction charges.

Shawn Lloyd and Adrienna Daniels, both of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty June 1 after authorities said they left Mary Daniels, 59, in their attic with no air conditioning in June 2010 when outside temperatures were over 90 degrees.

Lloyd, 26, was sentenced to a year in prison, while Adrienna Daniels, 29, was sentenced to a year of house arrest and three years' probation.

Police said the couple left Daniels with a blanket and sheet, a bottle of water and crackers while they went to the hospital for the birth, WKRC-TV reported. Mary Daniels was rescued after she broke a window and neighbors called authorities after hearing her cries for help.

Lloyd and Adrienna Daniels said they cared about Mary Daniels and never mistreated her. They said she had mental problems, including walking around at night and leaving the gas stove on, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

"I love my mother for the most part," Adrienna Daniels told the judge.

The judge said she didn't know "how you treat somebody like that" and noted that Adrienna Daniels used her mother's Social Security check to pay the family's bills.

Mary Daniels now lives in a nursing home, the newspaper reported.

Adrienna Daniels' attorney told The Associated Press that his client took care of her mother for 10 years through various health issues, including dementia. Mary Daniels had indicated she was "hearing voices about a year ago, wanting to kill her daughter," attorney Philip Stephens said.

Mary Daniels was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and after her release, "my client locked her up from time to time for her own safety," Stephens said. "No one is saying that was the best idea."

Assistant Prosecutor Megan Shanahan acknowledged that Mary Daniels has a mental illness but said "even someone who is mentally ill cannot agree to be put in this situation."

Messages were left for Lloyd's attorney.