New sentence in Schuylkill toddler death

A Mahanoy City woman who was convicted of killing a toddler in 2016 when she rolled onto her from a sofa was resentenced Thursday after the state Superior Court vacated her punishment.

But the new sentence didn’t change much for Pietrina C. Hoffman, 55.

Schuylkill County President Judge William E. Baldwin sentenced her to five years and three months to 10½ years in state prison, with 490 days credit for time served.

The sentence that had been vacated by the Superior Court was five years and nine months to 12 years.

Hoffman, seated next to her public defender, Kent C. Watkins, declined when Baldwin asked her of she wanted to give a statement.

“I don’t have anything to say,” she told him.

Hoffman was returned to prison.

After the hearing, District Attorney Michael A. O’Pake said he was satisfied with the sentence.

The sentence is commensurate with the acts of the defendant, and for the crimes of which she was convicted,” he said.

Watkins declined comment on the matter.

A jury on June 28, 2017, convicted Hoffman of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, and person not to possess a firearm.

She was sentenced to 17-34 years in state prison.

The trial court granted her appeal that prosecutors failed to present sufficient evidence malice, required to establish third-degree murder and aggravated assault.

The appeal resulted in her sentence being vacated. Baldwin imposed a new one of five years and nine months to 12 years in prison.

But Hoffman also appealed that sentence, and on Oct. 31, a panel of three state Superior Court judges granted the appeal and vacated her sentence.

The crux of the appeal was two counts of third-degree felony child endangerment charges.

Hoffman contends the charges should have been classed as misdemeanors, not felonies.

The Superior Court judges agreed, ruling that neither of the counts alleged a course of conduct.

According to court documents and testimony, Hoffman took a cocktail of muscle relaxants, morphine and a liquid sleep aid before falling asleep the night of Jan. 9, 2016, and rolling off the couch onto 14-month-old Nevaeh N. Doyle, for whom she was caring.

It was alleged that another young child for whom Hoffman was caring was malnourished, but that charge was not sufficiently proven, according to the Superior Court ruling.

Hoffman told police she realized Nevaeh had stopped breathing at about 5 a.m. Jan. 10. But she made coffee, let the dogs out and then went back to sleep until about 2 p.m. Then called her husband, who was away, before calling 911.