A Fairfax County woman who injected her disabled son with her blood, leading to dangerous infections, will spend another two years behind bars.
Elizabeth Malone, 28, was sentenced Friday to three years in prison. A judge called her crime "a betrayal of her maternal role."
Hidden camera video helped doctors figure out what was happening to Malone's gravely ill 5-year-old son. His mother was putting her blood in hospital syringes and injecting it into her son's tubes, leading to infections.
When she was arrested and charged with child abuse, she told detectives that she never meant to hurt her son. She said she was trying to get doctors at Inova Fairfax Hospital to be more responsive to her son's needs.
"I don't want to intentionally cause him harm. I know I did. I know I did. Punish me but please let me see my children," she said.
At a hearing Friday, Malone pleaded with the judge.
"I'm not a monster. I'm not an evil woman. I love my children," she said.
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Her attorney asked that she be released Friday, noting that she had already spent 15 months in confinement. The lawyer argued she needs mental health treatment, not to be jailed.
But prosecutors took a different view, calling Malone's actions horrific.
"Most children look to their mother for a hug. For comfort. This mother brought nothing but pain on this poor child," said Casey Lingan, deputy Commonwealth's attorney for the county.
The judge decided on a sentence of a total of three years, followed by two years of probation.
Malone's husband, who is seeking a divorce, said he wanted an even stiffer sentence. He said their son's condition has improved since his mother was jailed. He's even able to attend school.
