Answering “yes sir” 25 times to Judge Robert Pilmer’s questions in a Kendall County courtroom Thursday, Courtny Davidson pleaded guilty.
Judge Pilmer explained the next steps to her.
Davidson was sentenced to 10 years in a plea agreement offered by the Kendall County State’s Attorney office, receiving 638 days credit served in the Kendall County jail since her arrest on August 6, 2020.
Davidson is the mother of six-year-old Kerrigan Rutherford, who died in July 2020 when she was given pills to get her to sleep that later was identified as Olanzapine.
Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell ruled the cause of death as prescription drug overdose.
Olanzapine is used to treat schizophrenia or bipolar disorders according to the Mayo Clinic website.
The family lived in Oswego Township where Kerrigan was a kindergarten student at Boulder Hill Elementary School.
In exchange for the guilty plea, two charges of endangering the life or health of a child were dropped.
She gave up her right to a jury or bench trial although she has 30 days to withdraw her guilty plea and file an appeal. A $2,000 fine was waived by the state for time served in custody to pay that. However another $799 in fines remains.
Defense attorney Michael Blake, who said he didn’t think a trial or bench trial would be better, spoke to the media afterwards.
But how much time could Courtny Davidson spend locked up?
Later Blake clarified the sentence in a phone interview.
Courtny Davidson’s husband and Kerrigan’s stepfather, 30-year-old James Davidson was found guilty by a jury, then sentenced last week to 12 years in prison.
What about the Davidsons’s five-year daughter? This is Courtny’s attorney again.
Courtny Davidson will be transported to either the Logan or Decatur correctional center for Illinois female inmates. Within a week, that could occur, said her attorney.
You can listen to Mark Harrington's radio story by clicking below: