Castlewood woman charged in toddler’s death sentenced to 5 years in prison

HAYTI, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -The mother of a two-year-old girl who died in Hamlin County has been sentenced to five years behind bars.

Thirty-two-year-old Josephine Raymundo previously pleaded guilty to felony child abuse charges. As part of her plea deal, more serious manslaughter charges were dropped.

The charges stem from an incident in June of 2020 when authorities responded to a report of an unresponsive two-year-old girl at a Castlewood home. The girl was later declared dead at a Watertown hospital.

Prosecutors say Raymundo left the girl in the care of her own mother - the child’s grandmother - despite knowing she was an abusive alcoholic.

Hamlin County State’s Attorney John Delzer told Watertown Radio it was a “difficult case with complex facts” that included reports from two coroners. Delzer recommended the maximum five years in prison that was agreed to in the plea agreement, calling Raymundo a “disastrous mother” who “had not taken full responsibility” for her actions.

On Tuesday, Circuit Judge Robert Spears imposed a 10-year prison sentence, with five years suspended. Raymundo was fined $5,000 plus court costs, and was ordered to undergo an anger management assessment, chemical dependency evaluation and successfully complete parenting classes.