Lancaster woman sentenced for 2017 death of toddler

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — On Wednesday Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced that a Lancaster County woman has been sentenced to 15-30 years in state prison for the 2017 death of a 2-year-old girl in her custody.

“Today, we remember 2-year-old Brooklyn March, who was taken from us by Angela Diaz,” Attorney General Shapiro says. “Diaz now faces the consequences of her actions and will go to prison for a long time. My Office is committed to defending our most vulnerable, and there are none more vulnerable than our children. We will continue to hold child abusers accountable and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

Police responded to Diaz’s home in May 2017 and found the toddler unresponsive.

The child was taken to Hershey Medical where an examination revealed March had suffered malnutrition and brain trauma from a severe impact while in Diaz’s custody and care.

 Experts in the field of child abuse injuries concluded that the child’s death was a result of physical child abuse and investigations conducted by both the Lancaster County District Attorney and the Attorney General’s office determined that Diaz caused the child’s death. 

Evidence showed that on the date of her death, the victim vomited after eating a sandwich, Diaz responded by kicking and body slamming the victim against a firm surface in the house. 

The impact was forceful enough to cause separation of the child’s retinas and resulted in bleeding in the child’s brain. 

The toddler had been in Diaz’s custody for approximately 4 months while her biological parents resided in Georgia.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge of Third Degree Murder in September 2020 before the Honorable Howard Knisely, who also imposed today’s sentence.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Daniel J. Dye.