HICKORY, North Carolina — A woman who pleaded guilty in the death of her stepdaughter has told a Charlotte television station she did not kill the girl.
Elisa Baker talked with WSOC-TV (http://bit.ly/YwjWL8) at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh on Wednesday and said Zahra Baker, 10 had been sick with a stomach problem the day she died in September 2010. .
"I plead guilty to something I did not even do and it wasn't even a murder," said Baker.
She said the girl was not breathing when she went to check on her. She said she should have called 911 instead of trying CPR.
She is serving up to 18 years in prison. She pleaded guilty in 2011 to second-degree murder with aggravating factors that included dismembering Zahra Baker's body.
Zahra Baker wore a prosthetic leg and hearing aids after a struggle with bone cancer. She was reported missing in October 2010 from her home in Hickory.
"Zahra was a blessing. She brought a lot into my life," said Baker.
Several months after Elisa Baker's plea, a hunter found a skull in the northern part of Caldwell County. The medical examiner determined the skull was Zahra's.
The girl's father, Adam Baker, was deported to Australia after it was determined he was in the country illegally. He took Zahra's remains with him.
Information from: WSOC-TV, http://www.wsoctv.com
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