GUILTY PA - Sophia Hoffman, 2, beaten to death, Woodland, 15 Nov 2013

Brandi Lauder later testified that Medzie called her that morning to tell her that the child fell asleep as she was dressing her. Because the girl had been sick the night before, Brandi Lauder told her to let her sleep for awhile and she would be over to Medzie’s home later to check on her. About a half-hour later, Evans called saying something was wrong because the girl wouldn’t wake up.

When Brandi Lauder arrived, she said it took “two seconds” to see that something was wrong. It was 20 minutes before the ambulance arrived, she said, but it seemed “like hours.”

Brandi Lauder was asked about the child’s health. She recounted the same events with the child being ill the previous day. She also noted that for about six weeks, since Medzie was watching her, the child was not herself. She said the child had bruises on her face, black circles under her eyes and her hair was falling out in clumps. They were planning on making an appointment with a specialist to determine if she had an autoimmune disease.

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A Facebook message from Medzie to a friend was also shown to the jury that read: "She was sick and tired of watching Sophia and was going to end up hurting her or herself."

A state police officer testified that during interviews with Medzie, she claimed she shook Sophia two times because she was crying and because she peed in her diaper in October.

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Jennifer Medzie, 22, of Allport, was found guilty of criminal homicide — murder in the third degree for the killing of Sophia Hoffman in 2013, but not guilty on the most serious offense of criminal homicide murder in the first degree.

It took the jury of eight women and four men about an hour to reach its verdict.

Medzie is facing a minimum of 10-20 years in prison to a maximum of 40 years in prison for the third degree murder charge, according to Clearfield County District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr.

The jury also found Medzie guilty of aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of children. All the charges except the endangering the welfare of children charge merge under the third degree murder charge for sentencing purposes, President Judge Fredric Ammerman said.

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A jury in August ruled that Jennifer Ann Medzie, 22, was guilty of third-degree murder and related charges in connection with the death of Sophia Hoffman.

Medzie was back in Clearfield County Court on Monday, where Judge Fredrick J. Ammerman sentenced her to 20 to 40 years in prison.

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It was an emotional hearing with family members on both sides giving tearful testimony before the court.

“I ask that you give her the maximum,” Sophia’s father, Cody Lauder said. “She murdered my daughter. She ripped our family apart.”

Lauder was very emotional and managed to speak only a few sentences before breaking down. Ammerman allowed him a few minutes to compose himself and moved on to other witnesses while he did. When he resumed, Lauder asked that Medzie be given the maximum so she wouldn’t have the opportunity to harm another child.

Sophia’s grandmother and uncle gave tearful testimony, saying Sophia was a special little girl who will never get the chance to live her life and they miss her every day.

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