Mom Who Deprived 10-Month Old Baby Of Food, Water For Days Gets Life Sentence

A Michigan mother whose 10-month-old infant died of malnutrition and dehydration has been sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday, Nov. 17, for the newborn baby's murder.

Tatiana Fusari, a 30-year-old woman from Kent County, Michigan, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of her 10-month-old daughter Mary Welch, as well as 15 to 30 years for child abuse, with the sentence running concurrently with each other, according to Law&Crime.

Prosecutors said that an autopsy showed that Mary had not been fed for days and that the child had only gained a single pound over 10 months after their birth, pointing out the neglect that the baby faced under the care of Fusari.

“This is a tragic case from where I’m sitting. I'm not sure that I’ll ever understand what these parents were doing or thinking to, I guess I would have to say, literally watch their child starve to death,” Judge Paul Denenfeld said about the case.

While Fusari did not offer any comments regarding the decision, her lawyer Damian Nunzio said that they planned to appeal the case, saying that Fusari was abused and tortured by her husband, and that is why she couldn’t take care of her child, FOX 17 reported.

“People don't understand the full impact— What that meant... how victims of sexual assault, physical assault, emotional assault, go through these things, and what they have to put up with in order to survive on a day-to-day basis,” Nunzio said about the case.

Seth Welch, Fusari’s husband, was convicted of murder and child abuse as well in January 2020 and was similarly sentenced to life without parole. He allegedly abused Fusari, including raping her and threatening her life with a gun.

“He takes the AK out of the closet and he tells me to get on my knees and he puts the gun to my head,” Fusari said. “And at this point, I don’t know why he’s angry. I don’t know what I could’ve done this time for him to be so upset with me to put a gun to my head.”

The couple had four children, with the fourth being born while Fusari was in prison.