BOSTON (Court TV) — A woman is heading to prison after leaving her three young children home alone for hours and ignoring their pleas for help while one of them lay dying.
Jennifer Prudencio pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Sept. 22, 2026. (Court TV)
Jennifer Prudencio, 28, appeared Tuesday in court, where she changed her plea to guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of reckless endangerment. The charges stem from an incident in 2024 that left her 3-year-old dead.
Yael Guardado-Prudencio had a history of medical issues, including hemophilia and seizures. Prudencio took her son to the doctor twice in the week before his death; during those visits, Prudencio and the doctor discussed plans to either add another medication to the child’s regimen or increase his current dose of anti-seizure medication. Toxicology tests performed on the child’s body after his death showed undetectable medication levels in his blood.
Despite Yael having vomited blood days before, Prudencio went out on the evening of April 6, 2024, leaving the 3-year-old in the care of his brothers, ages 8 and 7. Prosecutors said Prudencio spent the night with her boyfriend, drinking beer and eventually staying over at his home.
Overnight, Yael’s 8-year-old brother texted their mother multiple times, saying that the 3-year-old wasn’t feeling well and was repeatedly vomiting. One message, sent at 1 a.m., included a video showing the child moaning and visibly distressed. Prudencio responded to the text, saying she would be home soon, but did not return for another nine hours.
When Prudencio arrived home, she found all three children in bed — but Yael was dead. In an interview with police, Prudencio said she was aware of the serious nature of Yael’s health conditions and acknowledged receiving the messages her eldest son had sent.
Prosecutors struck no deal with Prudencio when she changed her plea. They said they could not reach an agreement with the defense because they believed several aggravating factors warranted a sentence above the standard sentencing guidelines. But Prudencio’s attorney, Peter Marano, said his client deserved leniency, describing her as a “child in an adult body.” “She, at the time of this child’s death, was in essence, a child herself,” he said.
Marano made some of his arguments about mitigation at sidebar for his client’s privacy, but said in open court that she was a survivor of multiple abusive relationships as well as rape. “There’s no positive outcome in this case for anyone,” he said. “At the end, this is a tragedy that began when she was born.”
Judge Joshua Wall went above the state guidelines, sentencing Prudencio to four to six years in prison, followed by three years of probation.
Prudencio’s two surviving children now live with Prudencio’s mother; prosecutors said the Department of Children and Families indicated its goal was to reunify the family at some point.
