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A Schenectady mother has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after being convicted of murdering her infant daughter by abandoning her in freezing conditions.
On Monday (February 2), Judge Matthew Sypniewski handed down the maximum sentence to 24-year-old Persia Nelson for the March 2024 death of her daughter, Halo Branton, who was nearly 11 months old when she died.
Nelson was found guilty in October 2025 on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and endangering the welfare of a child after a jury trial that lasted more than two weeks. Prosecutors successfully argued that Nelson had acted with "depraved indifference to human life" when she placed her baby daughter inside a wet drainage pipe on General Electric's Schenectady campus during cold weather.
Evidence presented at trial showed Nelson remained at the scene for 28 minutes before walking away without seeking help or alerting authorities. The infant was later found by police "floating face up in the water, partially stuck under a puddle," according to prosecutors. An autopsy determined Halo died of hypothermia.
During the sentencing hearing, Nelson, visibly emotional with shaking hands and tears, apologized to family members and first responders, characterizing the death as a "tragic accident."
Judge Sypniewski firmly rejected Nelson's characterization, stating: "Miss Nelson, you can cry all you want, but I know you are smart enough to know what you got coming in this case." He added, "Negligent killings, reckless killings, intentional, depraved indifference murder and then we got this, baby murder, jury came back with baby murder, so you are getting maxed in this case."
Prosecutor Christina Tremante-Pelham took issue with Nelson calling the incident an accident. "It's hard to think about her being rehabilitated when she is actually not taking responsibility for what she did," Tremante-Pelham said.
The case began when Halo was reported missing in March 2024. Nelson had claimed she didn't know where her baby had gone after attending a party the previous night. During the trial, Nelson's defense argued that weather conditions and her intoxication contributed to a lack of awareness, with Nelson claiming she was drunk and high and didn't intend to kill Halo.
A victim impact statement from Halo's paternal grandmother, Courtney Keit, described the lasting trauma the case has caused her family. "Every time I watch a movie and someone dies with their eyes open, I think of Halo and the pain and stress they said she went through before finally taking her last breath," the statement read.
Nelson will not be eligible for parole until she has served at least 25 years in state prison.