Prosecutors today charged Cheryl L. Busch on suspicion of homicide for the shooting death Wednesday of her 19-month-old child, and she is expected to enter a plea at a 1:30 this afternoon, according to court documents released this morning.
The San Benito County District Attorney's Office additionally charged Busch, 39, with a felony count of corporal injury to a spouse as recommended by the sheriff's office, and prosecutors filed special allegations related to the child's death for intentionally discharging a firearm and also firing a weapon to cause great bodily harm, records show.
Authorities allege that she shot 19-month-old Donna May Busch twice with a .357 Magnum - in the chest and head - on the property in the 2300 block of Shore Road, and investigators had yet to determine a clear motive as of Thursday when Sheriff Curtis Hill addressed the media.
Busch has, however, had domestic violence problems in the past, and court records show she was ordered to serve 31 days in the San Benito County Jail after pleading guilty to battery against her husband for a November 2007 incident. In that case, prosecutors also originally charged Busch on suspicion of child abuse, records show.
On March 25, San Benito County Judge Steven Sanders sentenced Busch to 31 days in jail, three years of probation and a $650 fine. He also ordered her to complete a 52-week domestic violence program as directed by the probation department, the records indicate. For the battery charge, the maximum sentence is up to a year in county jail and a $2,000 fine, according to the California Penal Code.
Kollin Kosmicki Kollin Kosmicki is editor of the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 337 or editor@freelancenews.com.
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