A woman in Pittsburgh has been sentenced to life in prison for torturing her three-year-old stepdaughter to death.
Bella Seachrist died in June 2020 after being starved and physically abused by her stepmother Laura Ramirez.
The young girl was found “unresponsive” in the bathtub of a home in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, and weighed less than 30 pounds when she died.
Ramirez, 31, was found guilty in July of first-degree murder and other charges including aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful restraint and conspiracy to commit murder.
She was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole with an additional 37 to 74 years in prison.
Laura Ramirez of Pittsburgh was sentenced to life in prison for torturing her 3-year-old stepdaughter to death
Bella Seachrist died in June 2020 after being starved and physically abused by her stepmother because she was born as a result of her father’s affair
In May, Bella’s father, Jose Eduardo Salazar-Ortiz, was convicted of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy to commit murder.
The 32-year-old was sentenced to 33 to 66 years in prison.
Ramirez’s sister, Alexis Herrera, 23, has been accused of participating in the abuse of Bella and is scheduled to stand trial in January.
She had videos and pictures of the severe abuse of Bella on her phone.
Bella was discovered unresponsive in the bathtub on June 9, 2020.
“When officers and paramedics arrived, they determined that the child appeared to be severely injured and malnourished,” said a statement from Allegheny County Police.
“Officers and paramedics performed life-saving measures and transported the child to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased.”
In May, Bella’s father, Jose Eduardo Salazar-Ortiz, was convicted of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy to commit murder
Ramirez’s sister, Alexis Herrera, 23, has been accused of participating in the abuse of Bella and is scheduled to stand trial in January
According to authorities, the little girl was starved by her family members and became so emaciated that her bones could be seen through her skin.
Her hair was also patchy and falling out because she was so malnourished.
She died from malnutrition, failure to thrive due to chronic illness and hypoglycemia, as well as abuse and neglect.
Investigators said Bella was beaten, sexually abused, bound, gagged and placed in small, dark closets.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever really seen a level of malice that wasn’t just actually committed here,” Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer said during Ramirez’s sentencing.
“After what happened day after day, week after week, month after month, there was no other possible outcome than for her to die in one of the most horrific ways possible.”
“The pain, the hunger – I can’t imagine a worse fate for this child than the one he suffered at your hands in that house in Oakmont,” he told Ramirez.
Bella’s mother Nicole previously said she sent her daughter to live with her father and Ramirez because she was having problems.
She was having a hard time raising money for diapers, so she thought it would be better for Bella to live with Salazar-Ortiz and Ramirez.
Nicole believes her daughter was targeted by her stepmother because she was born as a result of an affair.
“She just did it out of spite because, one, that’s not her baby. And two, he was having an affair,” she said.
“I’m disgusted, I’m angry.” I will never hear my daughter call me mom. I will never see her graduate. I’ll never see her go to college. I’ll never see her get married.’