Orange County

Woman sentenced to probation for 4-year-old’s hot car death outside Orange County school

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The woman who pleaded guilty to leaving a 4-year-old boy to die in a hot SUV outside a school was sentenced to probation on Thursday.

Mariah Butler was sentenced to five years of supervised probation following the death of 4-year-old Logan Starling.

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Investigators said he died after his body temperature reached 108 degrees inside the SUV outside of the Elite Preparatory Academy in 2018.

“I’m very sorry and I can’t say it enough,” Butler said in court during the sentencing.

READ: Woman who investigators say left 4-year-old boy to die in hot car to be sentenced

Logan’s mother and great-grandparents were extremely upset over that sentence.

After walking out of court, Logan’s great-grandfather said if you leave a gallon of milk in the car, it’s a mistake. If you leave a child in the car, it’s murder.

READ: Family fights for harsher punishment for woman accused in 4-year-old’s hot car death

“She gets to live a happy life but yet I have to suffer every day. How’s that fair?” Logan’s mother said. “That’s telling me you can kill any child in Florida and get five lousy years of probation.”

As part of Butler’s probation, she is not allowed to work with children, such as at a day care.

READ: Orlando woman arrested in connection to 4-year-old boy’s hot car death

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.