EDWARDSVILLE - A judge Friday denied a lighter sentence for an Alton woman who was sentenced to seven years in prison for neglecting her 14-year-old diabetic daughter who died of diabetes.
Amber Hampshire, of Alton, pleaded guilty in October 2020 to involuntary manslaughter for allowing the death of her 14-year-old diabetic daughter, Emily, she had been avoiding prison time because she has been undergoing treatment for problems related to diabetes.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
On Friday Circuit Judge Kyle Napp denied her motion to reconsider her sentence and ordered her to be sent to the Illinois Department of Corrections on Monday. Hampshire may get a day off for each “good” day she serves.
A statement of facts cited in court in October by Assistant State’s Attorney Kathleen Nolan said that had there been a trial, doctors, and nurses at St. Louis Children’s Hospital would have testified that, as early as October 2013, the young woman was diagnosed with diabetes. The staff at the hospital advised Hampshire that diabetes is an insulin deficiency and that the girl needed to be given insulin.
In October 2014, a doctor in Alton urged Hampshire to monitor the girl’s diet and blood sugar. That was the victim’s last visit to the doctor.
In February 2018, Hampshire took her daughter to a MedExpress facility in Alton, reporting flu-like symptoms. “A blood test found her blood sugar levels were out of control,” Nolan said.
The girl was taken by ambulance to Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. Her mother was with her. The girl, Emily Hampshire, was admitted and Amber Hampshire received education and a psychological consultant. Staff members also gave her insulin, warning her the girl could die without proper care.
Hampshire canceled three follow-up appointments, according to court documents.
Nolan said evidence at trial also would have shown that Amber Hampshire received instructions on how to treat her child and that the girl’s school, Evangelical School in Godfrey, was also made aware of it — but Amber Hampshire told people at the school to disregard the care plan because the notification was a mistake.
Alton Police became involved after hospital personnel called an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services hotline. Sgt. Mike O’Neil conducted an investigation and was told by Amber Hampshire that she had no religious or financial reason to avoid her daughter’s treatment or to lie about the disease.
“She admitted that Emily did not see a doctor from the time she was discharged from the hospital in February in 2018 to when she died in November 2018,” Nolan said.
“Insulin was still in the refrigerator,” Nolan said.
In May, the judge rejected claims that Hampshire’s guilt was a result of a traumatic childhood.
“That’s not creating a traumatic childhood, that’s part of life,” Napp said.
Hampshire pleaded guilty in October 2020 but was allowed to continue free on bail because she needed treatment for her diabetes. She was sentenced to seven years in prison last May but was still allowed to go free because of her illness.
She had been unable to attend a sentencing hearing until Friday.
More like this:
