Mother guilty of strangling 7-year-old son, dumping body in desert receives sentencing

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A mother was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to killing her 7-year-old son and leaving his body on a trail outside of Las Vegas.

KVVU reports 36-year-old Samantha Moreno-Rodriguez was sentenced to 20 years in prison with the possibility of parole.

Moreno-Rodriguez was accused of strangling Liam Husted in May 2021 before dumping his body on a trail at Mountain Springs.

Prosecutors said Liam was autistic and that Moreno-Rodriguez told detectives she strangled him for about 15 minutes because she was frustrated with him. Detectives also said she admitted to stripping his body of clothes before leaving it in the desert.

Court records showed the mother entered a guilty plea agreement on Sept. 1.

She had previously pleaded not guilty in a hearing in August 2021.

According to court records obtained by KVVU, Moreno-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to murder and child abuse and had agreed to serve 28 years in prison.

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