Guilty plea: Mother crashed into Jacksonville pond during police chase killing daughter
A troubled mother pleaded guilty to multiple charges Wednesday in the death of her 5-year-old daughter after crashing with her into a Jacksonville pond during a police chase following a reported kidnapping,
Pamela Tereza Cabrera faces 10 to 30 years for aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement causing death, according to the State Attorney's Office. Her sentencing is scheduled for the week of March 4.
About 8 p.m. on March 31, 2022, police responded to a home in reference to Cabrera taking her daughter, whom she did not have custody. An officer spotted a car driven by a woman who matched the description at Biscayne Boulevard and Dunn Avenue and a chase ensued, according to an arrest report. She was running red lights all the way to Interstate 95. Multiple patrol cars joined the pursuit reaching speeds in the 90s and spanning about 30 miles.
Brianna Williams: Jacksonville mother pleads guilty in 2019 death of 5-year-old daughter after new evidence surfaces
As she tried to exit I-95 at Florida 9B, she crashed into a retention pond. Cabrera escaped the submerged vehicle and held onto a tire to stay afloat, according to the State Attorney's Office. Her daughter was trapped in the front seat of the vehicle. Officers already on scene jumped in but could only rescue the woman.
Family says she has a mental health condition and lost custody of her daughter Vanity in 2020. The child was living with an aunt, per the Department of Children and Family's request.
Cabrera, 33, initially was found incompetent for trial and committed to a state hospital and the Children and Families agency before Tuesday's plea, court records show.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Mother guilty in 5-year-old's death in Jacksonville police chase crash
