3rd trial for mom in ‘Baby Lollipops’ killing nearing an end

Author: Curt Anderson, AP
Published:
MGN

Closing arguments are set in the murder trial of a Florida mother accused of beating her toddler son to death in a case that riveted the Miami area decades ago.

Ana Maria Cardona was convicted and sentenced to death twice before in the 1990 killing of 3-year-old Lazaro Figueroa, whom police could not initially identify and gave the name “Baby Lollipops” because of a T-shirt he was wearing.

MORE: 3rd trial beginning for mom in ‘Baby Lollipops’ killing

Both convictions were thrown out by the Florida Supreme Court. Prosecutors opted not to seek the death penalty this time. Cardona faces life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.

Testifying in her own defense, Cardona claimed her former female lover took the boy to an unknown home where he was killed by the lover.

Closing arguments are expected to begin Wednesday.

MORE: Death sentence tossed for Florida mom of ‘Baby Lollipops’

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.