A TWO-YEAR-OLD girl fell into a pool and drowned as her drunk mother left her unattended to call men from dating apps.
Kelle Anne Brassart, 45, was convicted of second-degree murder and felony child endangerment on Tuesday over the death of her daughter, Daniellé Pires.
The little girl drowned at the family’s pool in California on September 12.
Brassart told the jury she had asked Daniellé to let their dogs out unsupervised.
But her daughter was later found floating motionless in the water.
Nearly 45 minutes after asking Daniellé to let the dogs out, at 3.27pm, she called the police.
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Prosecutors argued Brassart made no attempt to rescue her child.
The little girl – just one week shy of her third birthday – was rushed to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Brassart said she was physically unable to help, telling authorities she could not save her daughter because she was confined to a wheelchair following surgery on both ankles.
However, prosecutors quickly picked apart this claim.
An investigation revealed Brassart had been driving her car, attending nail appointments and “otherwise was able to be mobile without the use of the wheelchair.”
To make matters worse, surveillance footage shown in court showed Brassart walking and standing without her wheelchair.
As detectives dug deeper, they uncovered further troubling details.
The investigation revealed “empty and full liquor bottles were found hidden throughout” Brassart’s home.
Toxicology reports showed her blood alcohol content was .246 per cent – more than three times the legal driving limit.
Investigators then discovered Brassart was on the phone for 45 minutes speaking with men she had met through dating apps.
At the time of her daughter’s death, Brassart was also on probation for child abuse after another one of her children was hospitalised for ingesting medication.
The little girl’s father, Daniel Pires – who had gone to work earlier that day – allegedly asked Brassart not to drink alcohol while looking after their daughter.
She had also been ordered by the court to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
“This was not her first time,” Deputy District Attorney Sara Sousa told the jury.
“This is a case where the defendant knew, and she didn’t care.
“She didn’t care that her daughter was at risk; she didn’t care that she wasn’t watching her; because all she wanted to do was be selfish and get drunk.”
For Daniellé’s family, the guilty verdict offered a small measure of closure.
One family friend said: “Daniellé got justice today. She did not deserve what happened to her.”
“This was the result we were hoping for and believed in,” Sousa said.
“She not only failed in her duty to care for her child, but she did it in a way that was so reckless and indifferent to human life that her conduct amounted to that of second-degree murder.”
The Turlock Police Department described the case as one of its most challenging.
Brassart now faces a potential sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
She is due to be sentenced in early February.
