WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa woman has entered a plea in the 2018 death of her infant daughter and will spend the rest of her life in prison. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 29-year-old Alicia Marie Rios, of Elgin, entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder during a hearing Monday morning in Fayette County District court in West Union.

Rios didn’t admit guilt but acknowledged the plea was in her best interest. A charge of child endangerment causing death was dismissed. Rios was arrested in the death of her 5-month-old daughter, Lydia, who was injured Aug. 21 and died later at a hospital. An autopsy found a skull fracture and Rios acknowledge striking the infant with a coffee table.

The murder charge carries a mandatory prison sentence of life without parole.
Wiping away tears, Rios told the court, “I love my daughter, and I never meant for anything to happen.”