Mom who says toddler shot, killed her son faces sentencing

PHOENIX (AP) — A Phoenix woman who says her 2-year-old son fatally shot her 9-year-old son with a handgun that she left on a bed faces sentencing for her role in the 2017 killing.

A plea deal for Wendy Lavarnia calls for 10 to 16 years in prison when she’s sentenced Thursday for manslaughter in the death of her son, Landen.

She has acknowledged she caused his death by recklessly leaving the gun out where the toddler could grab it.

In the months after the killing, police expressed skepticism about Lavarnia’s account of the shooting and said they were having a tough time determining who shot the child.

Maricopa County Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Amanda Steele said prosecutors still can’t determine who fired the gun 2½ years after the killing.