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Inset: Erin Strotman (Henrico County Jail). Background: Henrico Doctors' Hospital (Google Maps).
The Virginia caregiver convicted of injuring 9 premature babies who suffered "unexplained fractures" portion nether her attraction in a hospital's intensive attraction unit volition locomotion retired of situation successful 3 years oregon less.
Erin Strotman, 27, was accused of causing fractures to the limbs of astatine slightest 9 infants astatine Henrico Doctors' Hospital successful Richmond, Virginia. As Law&Crime antecedently reported, Strotman was charged successful January 2025 with malicious wounding and felony kid maltreatment successful transportation with an incidental that occurred successful November 2024, and further probe revealed that she was liable for harm to further children.
According to the hospital, 3 babies had suffered "unexplained fractures" that November. Four different babies suffered akin injuries successful the summertime of 2023, the infirmary said.
Videos allegedly showed Strotman applying unit connected a 5-month-old babe boy's legs to the constituent wherever his feet reached his head.
In January, Strotman pleaded nary contention to 9 counts of kid maltreatment involving 9 infants betwixt 2022 and 2024 and was convicted the pursuing month, according to tribunal records.
According to tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime, she was sentenced Friday to 45 years successful situation — the statutory maximum of 5 years per kid nether Virginia law. Pursuant to the plea statement betwixt Strotman and section prosecutors, section CBS affiliate WTVR reported, she volition service lone 3 years total, arsenic the justice suspended each but 4 months of each sentence.
Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor told reporters that she negotiated the condemnation with Strotman's defence lawyers successful speech for the pleas. She said that determination would beryllium challenges successful prosecuting the lawsuit owed to a deficiency of video grounds for immoderate of the babies, the hospital's hold successful reporting the abuse, and the Henrico hospital's attraction guidelines anterior to 2024, which did not way which caregiver provided attraction to which infant.
"It wasn't my prime that I wanted to really bash 3 years," Taylor said, but she explained that she was constricted by the state's sentencing guidelines, "as unimaginable arsenic it is."
Strotman's lawyers had reportedly argued that she ne'er intended to harm the children, and that she was utilizing a circumstantial gas-relief method she learned portion astatine the hospital.
Local NBC affiliate WWBT reported that Strotman spoke to the families astatine the hearing.
"I would similar to sincerely apologize for the accidental harm that was inflicted connected the babies," she reportedly said, adding: "I ne'er intended to wounded your children and I americium truthful sorry."
Ashli Mason, 1 of the parents of an injured child, said she was pleased to spot Strotman — who had not been successful custody since her apprehension — beryllium detained instantly aft the sentencing hearing.
"I present cognize that my child's abuser is down bars, and volition beryllium going down bars, and I'm blessed with that," Mason said.
In April 2025, the Virginia Department of Health reported that an probe determined that the infirmary "failed to forestall abuse" successful transportation with Strotman's attraction of the babies.
The justice denied Strotman's lawyers' petition for location confinement, per WTVR. According to the station, her lawyers said she could perchance beryllium released for bully behaviour aft serving 65% of her sentence.
David Harris contributed to this report.
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