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Western Indiana woman guilty of neglect of 15-pound boy

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) – A western Indiana jury has found a woman guilty of nine counts of neglect in the death of a 9-year-old blind boy with cerebral palsy who weighed just 15 pounds.

The Tribune-Star reports the Vigo County jury deliberated three hours Thursday before convicting 54-year-old Robin Kraemer of Fontanet. She’s scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 19 and faces a potential prison term of 20 to 40 years on the most serious charge.

Cameron Hoopingarner weighed only 15 pounds when he died Feb. 21.

Fontanet, the boy’s guardian through an agreement with his birth mother, testified Wednesday she felt overwhelmed caring for him and admitted smoking methamphetamine days before he died. She said she gave Cameron daily massages, baths and multiple feedings at her home near Terre Haute.