Woman, 20, sentenced to 35 years in prison for choking and killing her 3-year-daughter over potty training issues

Janice Rene Anthony, 20, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for choking and killing her 3-year-old daughter

Janice Rene Anthony, 20, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Friday in Fort Worth, TX for killing her 3-year-old daughter.

She pleaded guilty to choking and killing 3-year-old Paris Howard over the child’s potty training issues.

On Sept 6, 2012 police arrived at the family’s home at the 5400 block of Enclave Circle to find Paris dead on the floor.

Anthony told the police that the child had fallen down some stairs but evidence later revealed that Anthony was physically abusive towards her daughter. 

Anthony hit the child the child over potty training issues, said Homicide Sgt. Cheryl Johnson.

The Star-Telegram reports that Anthony who was pregnant at the time she killed her daughter, gave birth to her newborn son just days later. The boy was placed in foster care.

Anthony was arrested and placed on $100,000 bail. Officials processed the girls toxicology reports to discover the cause of death.

Marissa Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Family and protective services said that Anthony choked her child occasionally and that she choked her daughter the night she died. The girl was covered in bruises.

Anthony admitted to, 'spanking and punching the child on a daily basis for not minding and using the bathroom on herself.'

Her attorney, Richard A. Henderson, claims that the defendant was abused by a family member when she was a child. He pleaded with the district attorney’s office to take these factors into account when sentencing her.

Henderson said that Anthony will need to serve half her sentence before she can qualify for parole.

‘That gave us a little more insight because normally, people don’t do these type of things,’Henderson said.

Gonzales and  state agency had only one earlier contact with Anthony following the birth of Paris in 2008.

Anthony was only 15 at the time she gave birth to her daughter.  Gonzalez said investigators ruled out abuse and neglect of the baby at that time.

5400 block of Enclave Circle in Fort Worth, TX where police discovered the bruised and beaten 3-year-old