Sen. Diamond releases statement on the sentencing of Shawna Gatto, convicted of depraved indifference murder in the death of Kendall Chick

AUGUSTA – At a hearing at the Lincoln County Superior Court on Tuesday morning, Justice William Stokes sentenced Shawna Gatto of Wiscasset to 50 years in prison. Gatto was found guilty of depraved indifference murder in the December 2017 death of 4-year-old Kendall Chick, the granddaughter of her fiancé Steven Hood.

In response to the guilty verdict, Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, released the following statement:

“I have followed this case from the beginning, and have been horrified at the details of what happened to Kendall. Justice Stokes’ sentence today is appropriate and proportional to the horrific nature of the crime that was committed. He deserves credit for his thoughtful and deliberate consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case. At the same time, I must renew my call to examine the larger issues here. Since Logan Marr died in 2001 — through four gubernatorial administrations — we’ve had seven commissioners of DHHS, and kids are still dying. We need action on all fronts to address this problem, not just from DHHS, but from the courts, the legislature and law enforcement. We have to act now.”