KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman whose two children died after being left in a hot car in Clay County in 2018 was sentenced Thursday to 54 years in prison.
A jury found Jenna Boedecker guilty on May 19 of two counts of second degree murder, four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of domestic assault and one count of property damage.
“Any crime against a child is especially tragic, but that tragedy is magnified when the crime is committed by the person those children should have been able to trust most in this world,” Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said in a statement released after today's sentencing. “The essential responsibility of any parent is to try their very best to keep their children safe from harm. This defendant failed fundamentally in that duty. "There are no winners in a case like this, and unfortunately no decision in court can bring back these precious children,” Mr. Thompson continued. “But we hope today’s decision can help the family and everyone impacted to find closure. We understand that for some people, it can feel like the wheels of the criminal justice system turn too slowly, but I can assure you that in Clay County, the wheels turn steadily toward justice."
Boedecker told authorities she and her two daughters fell asleep in her Jeep outside their Clay County home on July 3, 2018.
She woke up on the morning of July 4 to find the children, ages two and eight weeks, unresponsive.
KSHB 41 Investigator Sarah Plake reported in July 2018 court records stated Boekdecker and her husband got into a fight the night before the children's deaths.
Court documents stated Clay County sheriff's deputies got to the house morning of July 4 and found the front door slightly open and the Jeep's windows rolled up.
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