A Dallas woman admitted to gluing her daughter’s hands to a wall
Mother of five, Elizabeth Escalona, 23, pleaded guilty in July to felony injury to a child and is now facing a sentence between probation and life in prison. Prosecutors are seeking out a 45-year prison sentence. According to police, the young mother attacked her daughter, Jocelyn Cedillo, in September of 2011 because she lost her temper about potty training problems. Escalona beat her child before using Super Glue to stick her hands to the apartment wall.
Jocelyn suffered injuries which included bleeding in her brain, a fractured rib, multiple bruises, bite marks and was even in a coma for a couple of days. As for her hands, some skin had been torn off.
The woman admitted to beating her daughter and gluing her hands to a wall saying that her daughter “didn’t deserve that.” She also doesn’t recall why she did it. Escalona has pleaded for leniency, saying she is no longer the “monster” who committed the crime. She went on to say, “I will never forgive myself for what I did to my own daughter.”
Escalona, a former gang member, has a history of violence. There are recordings in which she threatened to kill her mother as a teenager. She also started smoking marijuana at age 11.
Escalona’s sister, Margaret Escalona, spoke on the issue saying, “I wanted an explanation. I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to beat my sister up.” Both Escalona’s sister and mother believe that what Elizabeth needs is more help, not prison.
Counselor Melanie Davis testisfed Wednesday that she believes Elizabeth Escalona loves her five children. Davis has been counseling Escalona since June, nine months after her arrest.
