FROM THE LAS CRUCES SUN-NEWS: A Holloman Air Force Base mother has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for spending hours online, playing World of Warcraft until late in the night as her young daughter "withered away" from malnutrition and dehydration, in the words of federal prosecutors.
Rebecca Colleen Christie, 28, who was convicted of second-degree murder and child abandonment in November 2009, was sentenced May 23 in federal court in Las Cruces. She will be required to serve four years of supervised release after prison.
Christie's ex-husband, U.S. Air Force Sgt. Derek Wulf, who pleaded guilty to child neglect, will be sentenced June 15. He faces up to three years in prison and one year of supervised release.
In a plea agreement, Wulf admitted neglecting his daughter's health and not adequately monitoring her medical and nutritional needs despite knowing that the child had health problems and special nutritional needs.
Their child, 3 1/2-year-old Brandi Wulf, had gained just a pound and a half in the last year of her life and weighed 23 pounds when Christie called 911 to report her daughter was limp and unconscious Jan. 26, 2006.
Derek Wulf had left on temporary military duty nine days earlier, but had expressed reservations about his wife's ability to take care of their child; her older daughter had already been placed with Christie's parents.
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