Jury returns punishment for Amber McDaniel

FORT WORTH (KFDX/KJTL) — A Tarrant County jury of seven women and five men has determined a sentence for Amber Nichole McDaniel, who pled guilty to two felony charges in connection to the 2018 murder of her 2-year-old son, Wilder.

On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, McDaniel was sentenced to two years in a state jail for the charge of endangering a child and five years of probation for the charge of tampering with evidence.

Judge McKnight told McDaniel that based on the circumstances of her case, she does have the right to appeal the decision. Judge McKnight said the matter is set for a formal pronouncement of sentencing on Monday, September 25, 2023 in Wichita County.

McDaniel was remanded into the custody of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, where she will remain until a bench warrant is issued for the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office to pick her up and transport her back to Wichita County.

The jury began deliberating just after 11:10 a.m. following closing arguments from lead prosecutor John Gillespie and defense attorney Mark Barber. The jury deliberated for about two and a half hours before reaching its unanimous verdict.

McDaniel, 33, of Wichita Falls, pleaded guilty in April 2023 to the felony charges of endangering a child and tampering with evidence related to the 2018 murder of her 2-year-old son Jason Wilder McDaniel.

McDaniel, who will now have two felony convictions on her record, was facing a sentence ranging from probation to more than a decade behind bars.

Proceedings began on Monday, September 11, 2023, in Auxiliary Trial Room E on the seventh floor of the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in downtown Fort Worth. A recap of each day’s proceedings can be found below:

KFDX Weekend Anchor Markeshia Jackson and Digital Reporter Josh Hoggard will have much more on McDaniel’s trial, including reactions from friends and family members, following the announcement of McDaniel’s sentence.