Cardwell sentenced to life in prison
Former Marine convicted of murdering his toddler stepdaughter
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A judge has sentenced Jared Cardwell to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
A jury in March found Cardwell guilty of the May 2015 murder of his stepdaughter. Celine Carreno was 18-months-old at the time of her death. She died from blunt force trauma.
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News 11's Crystal Jimenez was in the courtroom when the judge handed down Cardwell's sentence. She reported details in this livestream report:
Celine’s grandmother Nancy Matsumoto spoke before Cardwell and his family before a sentencing was announced.
Matsumoto told Cardwell, “Jared, I forgive you for what you did to Celine. May God have mercy on your soul.”
Celine’s loved ones headed to the cemetery Friday evening where they held an intimate gathering. Matsumoto told News 11 it’s an emotional day, but Celine finally got the justice she deserved.
Cardwell has up to 20 days to appeal the judge’s decision. However, Judge Kinsey told the courtroom, “If this case does not warrant a life in prison with the findings of the jury, then I don’t know if theres any case that does.”
