'I'm sorry that you'll never grow up': Tearful mother sentenced to 18 years after her three young children killed in fire at family home where she had left them locked up because she didn't have a baby sitter
- Angelica Belen, 25, locked her 5-year-old daughter and 4-year-old twins in bedroom before leaving for work April 11
- House fire that took children's lives was caused by faulty wiring in kitchen of Belen's West Allis, Wisconsin, home
- Victims died from smoke inhalation and burns; their bodies were found huddled together under a dresser
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Inmate: Angelica Belen, 25, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the deaths of her three children killed in a fire after being left home alone
A 25-year-old Wisconsin mother was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for the tragic deaths of her three young children, who perished in a house fire after being left without supervision.
Last spring, an inferno sparked by faulty wiring in the kitchen of Angelica Belen’s home in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis killed her 5-year-old daughter, Nayeli Colon, and 4-year-old twin sons, Adrian and Alexis Colon. Their bodies were found huddled under a dresser..
Before sentencing Miss Belen to 18 years in prison and 18 years of extended supervision, Judge Jeffrey Wagner said he sympathized with the defendant, who had been struggling to raise four children, three of them with special needs.
But he also said she had failed in her duty to take care of them. Her fourth child was visiting his father at the time of the fire.
‘I understand your terrible, terrible upbringing,’ Wagner said, referring to Belen’s childhood spent in an abusive home. ‘I know you were victimized yourself growing up, and I understand that and I take that into consideration. But there shouldn’t be this cycle.’
Her long dark curly hair shrouding her face, a tearful Belen apologized profusely for leaving the children alone and the hurt that she caused her family. At one point, she spoke directly to her dead children.
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Angels: Three of Belen's four children, 5-year-old daughter, Nayeli Colon (center), and 4-year-old twin sons, Adrian and Alexis, died from burns and smoke inhalation during the April house fire
‘I’m sorry that you’ll never grow up. I am sorry that I will never see you grow up, graduate high school and have children of your own,’ said Belen, who pleaded guilty in July to three counts of felony child neglect.
She was 3 in 1992 when her 17-month-old sister was found beaten and starved in her crib. Belen’s mother was sentenced to eight years in prison for child neglect, and her boyfriend was convicted of beating the child.
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ShareThe surviving siblings were placed in foster homes, where court records show Belen was abused.
Prosecutor Mark Williams, who recalled attending Belen’s mother’s sentencing, said that while her upbringing was ‘horrific,’ it was no excuse.
‘She certainly started out behind the eight ball in life, but her sisters did well and this defendant had the chance to do well,’ Williams said.
On April 11, Belen’s baby sitter fell through, so she placed her three young children in a second-floor bedroom and went to the new job she needed to support her family.
Tough upbringing: Before sentencing Belen to prison, the presiding judge said he sympathized with the mother, who had been the victim of neglect and abuse as a child
Emotional: Belen tearfully apologized for leaving the children alone and the hurt that she caused her family
Too little, too late: Miss Belen apologized directly to her dead children, saying she was sorry they would not grow up and have kids of their own
The woman later said she decided to lock the kids because she didn't want them wrecking the house or getting outside where neighbors would see they were unattended.
West Allis firefighters would eventually discover the bodies of three of Belen's four children huddled under a dresser, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported. Autopsies determined the toddlers died of smoke inhalation and burns.
During Belen's sentencing Friday, West Allis police detective Nicholas Pye said that sight of the three small bodies was the worst thing he has ever laid eyes on in 22 years of service, according to the station Fox6Now.
The children’s horrific deaths divided Belen’s family, with one sister asking Wagner to sentence her to life in prison while other relatives pleaded for understanding. Belen faced a maximum 15 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision for each death.
‘It is beyond my comprehension how a mother could do this to her children, her own flesh and blood,’ said Belen’s sister, Leah Sillix, who helped identify the children’s bodies and still has nightmares.
Another sister, Maria Sosa, and Belen’s aunt, Sharon Fredericks, said Belen had done the best she could and needed more help than she received.
‘Her intention was to protect the children, your honor, it wasn’t to hurt them,’ Fredericks said. ‘She would never hurt them.’
Inferno: The deadly fire was caused by faulty wiring in the kitchen of Belen's West Allis, Wisconsin, home
Horrifying sight: The bodies of the three toddlers were found huddled together under a dresser
Williams reviewed multiple child welfare reports that described the children living in filthy conditions with dirty diapers, garbage and feces littering the home.
Other reports described exposed wires, and once, the children eating out of a garbage can.
But the prosecutor and others said child welfare workers shared responsibility for the children’s deaths.
Belen received multiple warnings from the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare for repeatedly leaving her children alone and was eventually charged with child neglect.
Nonetheless, the children were never removed from her care. A Wisconsin Department of Children and Families investigation later determined the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare hadn’t handled her case properly and overhauled the bureau’s in-home services program.
Changes to the child welfare system in the wake of the case include more staff training, increased home visits and longer program stints for families.
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