CEDAR PARK, Texas — Meagan Work, the Cedar Park mother who pleaded guilty in the 2014 death of her two-year-old son, learned what sentence she faces on Nov. 30.
Work has been sentenced to serve 30 years in prison. She does get credit for the four years she has already served. She has been sentenced to 20 years for tampering with evidence and 30 years for injury to a child by omission. The judge ordered those terms to be served concurrently.
She has possibility for parole in 11 years.
Judge David Wahlberg opened the morning by saying, "This has been one of the most emotional cases I have ever had to deal with as a judge, as a lawyer, as a human being."
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The judge said there is a "serious problem" with the lack of testimony from Michael Turner, Work's boyfriend. The judge said his plea agreement should have required a truthful testimony from him.
"I think that his testimony could have answered a lot of questions about the days and weeks prior to Colton Turner’s death," Judge Wahlberg said.
Before giving the sentence, Judge Wahlberg said that Colton Turner might still be alive today if he had gotten proper medical care.
“Basic fact is that Colton Turner didn’t deserve to die," Judge Wahlberg said. "He died in the custody of his mother and Michael Turner. He was absolutely innocent.”
In 2014, young Colton Turner was found dead in a shallow grave in southeast Austin after a search for the missing boy by authorities. Police believe Work and her boyfriend buried Colton after he died from a seizure.
In August, Work pleaded guilty to the charge of tampering with evidence and a charge of injury to a child by omission when she failed to find medical care for her son. Work has been going through sentencing the past few days with these charges.
Before her arrest in connection to her son's death, Work had a criminal history including assault and cruelty to animals.
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Throughout the week, prosecutors had been seeking a significant prison sentence for Work.
From Monday through Wednesday, Work's sentencing hearing went on with testimony from some of her family members and friends and eyewitnesses to abuse caused by Work.
Robert Coe, a potential eyewitness in the case, gave an emotional testimony bringing himself and Judge Wahlberg to tears. Coe spoke of seeing a woman, believed to be Work, shake a child back and forth like "a rag doll" and slamming the child's head against the truck door.
“To me, it’s possible I might have heard or seen that little boy’s last breaths," Coe said, before he broke down, and Judge Wahlberg called for a recess.
When they returned, Coe apologized to the judge. Judge Wahlberg, tears in his own eyes, assured Coe he had nothing to apologize for.
"Understand that we all share the pain that you're in," Judge Wahlberg said.
KVUE's Molly Oak gave live updates on Twitter from the courtroom.