Probation was denied for Desiree Catlett—the woman who recently entered an Alford plea to reckless homicide in the 2016 death of her infant son—during final sentencing in Christian Circuit Court Wednesday.
The plea comes with a five year sentence, but public defender Eric Bearden requested that the sentence be probated, citing Catlett’s willingness to do as the court orders, how her circumstances have improved and the remorse and grief she feels for the incident.
Judge John Atkins says Catlett has shown remorse during all proceedings and although he considered probation, he ultimately denied it, saying it would unduely depreciate the seriousness of the charge.
The Commonwealth was neutral on probation and remains neutral on shock probation, which Bearden says he intends to file a motion for as soon as possible. An Alford plea is when a defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges there could be enough evidence to convict. This case has gone to trial before, but ended in a mistrial when the jury could not come to agreement on a verdict.
Catlett’s nine-month old son fell into a bathtub while being bathed at their Evergreen Park Drive home and emergency responders arrived to find the infant not breathing. The defense contended his death was a tragic accident, while the Commonwealth attributed the death to wanton neglect.