GUILTY TX - Jazmine Howard, 2, scalded to death, Fort Worth, 15 March 2011

A Tarrant County jury has sentenced Charles Bellamy to 55 years in prison for the scalding death of his 2-year-old daughter.

Bellamy was sentenced just hours after being found guilty of murdering Jaz’mine Howard.

There was no visible sign on Charles Bellamy’s face when the jury verdict was read.

Bellamy had already admitted responsibility for the 2011 scalding but his attorneys had argued for a lesser verdict of criminally negligent homicide.

He says he dipped the girl in scalding water, and instead of calling for help, he put the dead girl in the trunk of his car.

Bellamy claimed it was an accident and he was drunk at the time.

The jury sided with prosecutors, who had argued that Bellamy serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Jaz’mine’s 21-year-old mother Joy Howard previously testified that she had never seen Bellamy mistreat any of his other eight children.

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Disguiseduser0308 said:

It says her body was found with burns on it. Sounded more like he scalded her than "fell asleep". I hope they find him fast. He has a price to pay for the horror he inflicted on this little one and the family.

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