Arnes’a Hart, the 24-year-old woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year to criminally negligent homicide and child neglect, was sentenced Thursday to six years in jail for the death of her 4-month-old son.
A Davidson County grand jury indicted Hart last summer on charges of first-degree felony murder and two counts of child neglect after her youngest son, Sir Rodrick Polk-Donaldson, was found dead inside a room at a Music Valley Drive hotel on Feb. 20, 2011.
The investigation determined that Hart worked as a desk clerk at the hotel and had left her 3-year-old son and the Polk-Donaldson in one of the vacant rooms.
According to a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, testimony during the sentencing hearing revealed that the children were left unattended for a five-hour period. Investigators determined that the 3-year-old had rolled over onto the infant while sleeping and smothered the 4-month-old to death.
Both parties in the criminal case agreed to Hart’s six-year sentence. Thursday’s sentencing hearing was to determine whether that sentence would be served in jail or on probation.