Shaylynn Curtis, once of East Adams Mill Road and Trigg County, was sentenced to 23 years in prison Monday morning in Princeton’s Caldwell County Court House Annex — entering an Alford plea of guilt in the murder of her 5-month-old.
Asked by Circuit Judge Jamus Redd if she wanted to speak on her own behalf, Curtis said four words:
“I love my son.”
Often, Curtis openly cried during the hearing — one in which she received 20 years for the child’s death, three consecutive years for the abuse of a corpse, and another 18 concurrent months for a number of drug- and conduct-related charges surrounding the October 26, 2021, incident.
In a brief summary to the court, Commonwealth’s Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins said if the trial had begun July 24 as originally scheduled, her burden of proof would’ve opened with no less than six witnesses and testimony from Kentucky State Police Detectives Brian Hill and Cory Hamby, autopsy performer Dr. Jeffrey Springer, former friends of Curtis in James Fourqurean and Anna Draper, Jessica Jones of DCBS and blood analyst William Schroeder.
Facebook messages between she and Fourqurean, Ovey-Wiggins said, were also “incriminating,” and it’s the Commonwealth’s belief a jury could have sought a life sentence if she had been convicted in open court.
Whether Curtis transferred methamphetamine to her son via breastfeeding or some other means remains unclear at this time, but her specific plea makes the concept viable. Any defendant seeking an Alford, by definition, maintains innocence, but admits that prosecutorial efforts would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to a jury.
At one point amid all of her emotions Monday, Curtis seemed flustered with her public defense, which has included at different times Cody Hooks, Mary Rohrer and most recently Katy Riley.
With an Alford plea, Curtis isn’t eligible for parole until 85% of her sentence is complete. That’s 17 years if it includes only the murder, and 19 ½ years if it also includes the abuse of a corpse. She turned 30 on May 6.
Because she’s not eligible for probation or shock probation, Curtis and Riley moved in favor of waiving the pre-sentence investigation.
As Ovey-Wiggins filed that paperwork and awaited a fax, the courtroom was silent — except for the soft ticks of a wall clock and the creaking of chairs. Riley pulled an eyelash from Curtis’ tear-covered left cheek.
Perhaps the most telling detail of Monday’s meeting was the lack of familial representation there for Curtis. One unidentified person arrived early, then left just as Curtis — a GED earner with a phlebotomist’s certificate — was carried away in chains.
