A 25-year-old woman who abandoned her newborn baby in a field in the Chillum-area last year will serve 13 years in prison in the infant's death, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Wendy Villatoro, 25, of the 6200 block of Eastern Ave. N.E. in Washington, D.C., plead guilty in June to child abuse resulting in death after she had left her hours-old daughter in a plastic bag on Oct. 12, 2008, in a field in the 6300 block of New Hampshire Avenue, just outside of Washington, D.C.

The baby had been outside for about seven hours when she was found by workers cleaning the field, and died after being taken to a local hospital, according to police.

The Medical Examiner's Office had ruled her death a homicide, and police said she died from exposure to the elements.

Villatoro had recently immigrated to the United States to join her husband, who had been in America for three years, according to Villatoro's public defender, Michael Beach.

Beach said in court that Villatoro had suffered abuse all her life and the pregnancy had been the product of a rape in Honduras prior to her coming to the United States to join her husband, from whom she had been separated from for three years.

Beach added that the clinical psychologist who evaluated Villatoro said she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression.

The minimum sentence in the plea agreement was 12 years.

Prince George's County prosecutor Renee Battle-Brooks asked for the maximum 30-year sentence for the charge, saying that whether the baby was the product of a rape doesn't change the value of the baby's life.

Judge Cathy Serrette said the sentence should honor the life of the infant and also serve as a warning to others to not repeat Villatoro's actions, but that the trauma in Villatoro's life mitigated her ruling.

"The evidence indicates that you've pretty much been punished all your life," Serrette said to Villatoro before issuing her ruling.

Villatoro blotted tears from her eyes as she spoke to the court through an interpreter before the judge issued the sentence. She said she was regretful for what she had done and had originally come to the United States in order to provide for her two sons in Honduras.

"I didn't want them to suffer what I suffered. I love them and miss them," she said.

In November, Prince George's County detectives held a funeral for the infant girl, who they named Maria Del Pilar, after no family claimed the body.

Ivey said he wants the case to be "a reminder to women that there are other options," such as the Maryland's Safe Haven Law.

The law, passed in 2002, allows mothers to leave newborn babies in the custody of a hospital, fire or police station without being prosecuted.

Four years ago, Ivey said his office ran a Safe Haven Law public information campaign directed at Spanish-language media and churches.

"We may have to try again," he added.

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.