Woman Who Beat Little Girl, 3, To Death With Extension Cord Pleads Guilty To Avoid Death Penalty
A Louisiana woman, 36-year-old Tarika Wilson, pleaded guilty to beating a 3-year-old little girl to death with an extension cord. A crime scene investigator working on the case says the little girl had wounds on 75 percent of her body. The only place she was not injured was on the bottoms of her feet. The child showed signs of both fresh and old wounds indicating that the little girl had been subjected to beatings prior to her death. Tarika Wilson pleaded guilty to the murder of the little girl in order to avoid the death penalty. Instead, Tarika Wilson will spend life in prison, a sentence that 3-year-old Rizcheir Muskelly’s mother says she is disappointed with, as she wanted to see Wilson put to death for violently killing her daughter.
The Daily Mail reports that Tarika Wilson, 36, admitted to the 2013 murder of 3-year-old Rizcheir Muskelly. The woman acknowledges that she beat the little girl with an extension cord to the point she suffered severe internal bleeding. The murderer from Louisiana was charged with watching the three-year-old Rizcheir “Riri” after the child’s mother Debbie Muskelly was required to serve a jail sentence. While under Tarika’s care, Riri was beat for an unknown reason by Tarika. Though the woman has yet to give an explanation for why she beat the toddler to death, she did note in court that “15 minutes” changed her life.
According to the Shreveport Times, Tarika Wilson’s family members acknowledged that Wilson had a history of using corporal punishment on children. She seemed to indicate that the beating that took little Riri’s life on June 17, 2013, lasted approximately 15 minutes as she noted “fifteen minutes would change her life” forever. Wilson admitted her guilt to a small court audience on Thursday as her family members came out to show their support. With Wilson agreeing to plead guilty, the prosecution agreed not to seek the death penalty. Instead, Wilson was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole.
Riri’s mother, Debbie Muskelly, says she is disappointed with the plea deal as she wanted to see Wilson put to death for the murder of her daughter. However, she says she is happy that Wilson will have to sit in prison and think about what she did to her daughter for the rest of her life. Debbie says what disturbed her most by Wilson’s guilty plea is the fact that so many people at the courthouse came out in support of the convicted murderer. With Tarika’s family in attendance, crying as she was sentenced to life in prison, Debbie says it kind of made her mad to see all those people in the courthouse crying over Tarika’s life sentence while no one was shedding a tear for her murdered daughter.
“I just want to know why. But I have to hear it from Tarika.”
Debbie says that though Tarika didn’t get the death penalty like she had hoped, she did get what she deserved which is to never step outside of prison again.
“They’re affected every day, but they know she’s not coming back. And neither is (Tarika). She got what she deserved. She didn’t get what I want, but now that’s between her and God.”
[Image via Facebook/Debbie Muskelly]
