Carlsbad, New Mexico – A Carlsbad lady, whose grandson died from a heroin overdose, has been sentenced to nearly two decades in prison. Kelli Smith is the second person sentenced to prison for the death of 12-year-old Brent Sullivan.
In 2021, police arrested Kelli Smith after her grandson was discovered dead in the family shed following a fentanyl overdose. KRQE News 13 spoke with the district attorney managing the case, who expressed her satisfaction with the decision. “This is justice. “Brent has finally received justice,” says Dianna Luce, 5th Judicial District Attorney.
That is what District Attorney Dianna Luce had to say after a judge sentenced Kelli Smith to 18 years in prison. In 2021, the 58-year-old Carlsbad woman was arrested when her grandson, Brent Sullivan, was discovered dead in a garage following a fentanyl overdose. Smith’s daughter, Alexis, the boy’s mother, was also detained. Luce described how the cops discovered Sullivan’s body. “To find him (Bret) with the full, the little tube, the pill, all in that shed where he died they immediately knew what it was, they knew to get Narcan, but they delayed in calling 911,” he added.
Luce stated that during Wednesday’s sentencing, text messages and jail conversations were produced, revealing that Smith admitted to having drugs in her home. Smith described relocating a stash of cocaine during jail calls, and she and her daughter relocated Brent’s body before the cops arrived. According to Luce, a detective who testified on Wednesday became choked up while discussing his attempts to give Brent CPR.
“I believe the toll it had on police enforcement will last a long time. “The law enforcement officers who arrived first on the scene performed CPR on Bret,” Luce stated.
Luce hopes that the sentencing would encourage individuals to get help if they are battling with substance misuse. “I hope that this case leads to more treatment options for people who are addicted. We provide law enforcement with the funding and equipment they require to remove some of these substances from the streets; they cannot stop everything,” Luce stated.
Kelli Smith did not speak during her sentence, but she did provide a statement professing her innocence. They also stated that Smith would be appealing her conviction. Alexis Smith, Brent’s mother, was found guilty of two counts of child abuse. She was condemned to 14 years in prison and is appealing her conviction.
Source: New Mexico grandmother sentenced for overdose death of 12-year-old
