The mother of a 9-month-old child who died as a result of what prosecutors had said was neglect pleaded guilty Monday to a child neglect charge, but an allegation that her neglect caused the girl’s death was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Appearing in court for what was to be a status conference, Samantha T. Trumm, 31, of Madison, entered the guilty plea to an amended charge and was sentenced by Circuit Judge John Hyland to three years of probation, as requested by prosecutors and Trumm’s attorney, Michael Covey.
As one of the conditions of her probation, Trumm was ordered to have no contact with the girl’s father, Daniel E. Mallett, 51, of Madison, who remains charged with causing the girl’s death by neglect.
People are also reading…
A criminal complaint filed in May did not explicitly say what caused the girl’s death on Jan. 13, 2023, at the couple’s Far West Side home, but at the time that Trumm and Mallett were charged prosecutors said they only needed to show that the girl’s death was a consequence of neglect by her parents.
At the time, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Moeser said drug use by Mallett and Trumm contributed to their daughter’s death. The complaint states the girl had the presence of fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, heroin and xylazine, a veterinary sedative, in her bloodstream.
Covey said Trumm did not plead guilty Monday to anything having do to with causing her daughter’s death, nor was it part of the plea agreement that she testify against Mallett at his trial, now scheduled to take place in February 2025. But he said she would obey any subpoena if served with one.
“She loves her daughter more than anything,” Covey said. “She’s going to do anything possible to honor her daughter’s memory.”