A California mother has been jailed for six years for a 2018 incident where she asked her daughter, 8, to crawl under an idling train. The little girl died when the train began to move. Joy Frances Collins was found guilty of child abuse and endangerment following the death of her daughter, Joyanna Harris.
Collins, before her sentencing, begged the judge for mercy to avoid jail. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret any of that,” she told the court.
Fresno Police Department Detective Paul Hill told the jury during Collins’ October trial that she “didn’t want to miss the bus,” according to ABC30 News. He further said that Collins believed it was safe to cross the tracks.
Jason Wilson, a paramedic and ICU nurse, stated that Harris had “some severe injuries” and was “nonresponsive.” Harris’ graphic pictures were shown to the jury, and Collins had to walk out of the courtroom at one point, because of how disturbing the images were.
One of the photos presented to the jurors revealed that there was a “no trespassing” sign near the incident. The train that killed Harris was on its way to Barstow.
Collins was reportedly taken to Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, where she will serve her term. She has been ordered to pay a $1,200 fine. Collins’ son, who survived the tragedy, is in the custody of his grandparents at present.
