"Until late last year, 25-year-old Justin Pittman, of Livermore, was facing a murder charge for allegedly leaving fentanyl in a place where his 1-year-old daughter, Francesca Pittman, was able to ingest it and die. Last December, Pittman pleaded no contest to willful cruelty to a child with injury or death, accepting an eight-year prison sentence that can be reduced by half, court records show."
"Nearly three-and-a-half years later, she still wakes up in the morning and instinctively reaches for her little girl. I grieve her laughter, her smile, her tiny hands, her warm weight in my arms. I grieve the milestones she will never reach. Her first words. Her first day of school. I grieve every birthday that will never be celebrated, every holiday that will forever feel empty, and every future moment that was stolen from her."
"Then one relative spoke up for Pittman, stating that the tragedy has forced the young man to confront his trauma, his mental health, and his addiction in ways that he never had the opportunity or stability he had to face before."
A court hearing unfolded with grief and mourning as family members addressed a jailed man in a Santa Rita Jail jumpsuit. Justin Pittman, 25, had faced a murder charge after his 1-year-old daughter, Francesca, ingested fentanyl and died. In December Pittman pleaded no contest to willful cruelty to a child with injury or death and accepted an eight-year sentence that can be reduced by half. Pittman has been jailed since his 2022 arrest and has already served roughly 75 percent of the sentence with good-behavior credits. Family members shared memories and sorrow; Francesca’s mother described inescapable grief while a relative urged recognition of Pittman’s confrontation with trauma, mental health, and addiction.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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