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The woman who pleaded guilty to meth charges following the discovery of a dead toddler in her Wagner home says she is remorseful.
29-year-old Laurie Cournoyer was sentenced Thursday for possessing meth and other charges.
DCI Agent Riley Cook testified at Thursday’s sentencing.
Cook said Cournoyer told him she and her husband had done marijuana just days before two-year-old RieLee Lovell’s death.
Cook also said he could never narrow down when Cournoyer had last seen RieLee. She says she saw her on July 3, the day before the toddler’s body was found in a closet.
Assistant Attorney General Bill Golden says this is one of the most disturbing cases he was worked on. He’s asking for the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison because, he says, her drug use created a dangerous environment for her kids and it allowed the death to happen.
Cournoyer also took the stand. She cried as she admitted she has a problem with meth. She also apologized for not knowing about the little girl's death because she was high.
The judge sentenced her to more than 20 years at the South Dakota Penitentiary.
Click on the video player below to listen to Cournoyer's testimony:
