Las Vegas mom sentenced to prison in 3-month-old son’s death
A Las Vegas judge sentenced a 24-year-old woman to between 10 and 25 years in prison Thursday for killing her 3-month-old son.
Lindsey Bello accepted an Alford plea agreement to second-degree murder and child abuse, neglect or endangerment. Such a plea allows a defendant to admit only that prosecutors had enough evidence to prove the charge.
The attorneys agreed to the length of the sentence in the plea deal. District Judge Tierra Jones followed the agreed-upon sentence, which makes Bello eligible for parole after 10 years.
Bello’s son, Miles Stano III, died on April 1, 2022.
Bello called police to her home near 15th Street and Bonanza Road, and told detectives that when she went to check on her baby he was not breathing and was cold to the touch, according to the arrest report.
Police said that Bello and the boy’s father, 30-year-old Miles Stano Jr., behaved strangely when told the boy must have been killed by someone. The medical examiner told police that the baby’s injuries tend to cause immediate death, the report said.
The baby died with a broken skull, extensive bruising on his head and some cuts, according to police.
The parents were the only people caring for the child at the time of his death, police said. They were arrested several weeks after the baby’s death.
Bello made no statement to the judge when provided the chance during Thursday’s hearing. Her attorney, Richard Tanasi, said she had been feeling a “high level of nerves” and had decided to waive her right to address the room.
Stano pleaded guilty in April to second-degree murder and child abuse charges. He is scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing on June 27.
Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com