A Texas father learned his fate after admitting to killing his 8-year-old daughter by forcing her to jump on a trampoline in withering heat as punishment.
The girl, Jaylin Anne, was forced to jump on the trampoline in 110-degree heat and died of dehydration.
On Thursday, Daniel Schwartz, 48, of Odessa, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his adopted daughter, the Ector County District Attorney announced in a post on Facebook.
Schwarz was sentenced to 18 years in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
His wife, Ashley Schwarz, 38, was convicted of capital murder on May 1, 2023. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
“This outcome is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our prosecutors and the Odessa Police Department in seeking justice,” the district attorney wrote in the post.
As PEOPLE previously reported, the crime came to light on August 29, 2020, when Odessa police officers were called to the Schwarz’s home and found Jaylin deceased.
An investigation revealed that as punishment, the little girl “was not allowed to eat breakfast and was required to jump on the trampoline without stopping for an extended period of time,” police said at the time.
“Further investigation revealed that the 8-year-old child was not allowed to drink any water because she was not jumping,” they said.
The couple forced her to jump on the trampoline in the dangerous heat. The temperature of the trampoline at the time the girl died was approximately 110 degrees and the ground was approximately 150 degrees, police said at the time.
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The autopsy showed Jaylin’s cause of death to be dehydration and ruled the manner of her death as a homicide.
The couple were Jaylin’s guardians, family members told CBS 7.
Her biological mother, Alysha Anderton, said she had been trying to get access to her daughter and Jaylin’s sister, who was also in the Schwarz family’s care at the time of Jaylin’s death.
Jaylin “was full of life, loved horseback riding, ice skating, and all things outdoors,” her obituary said. “She loved all people and animals, and was very interested in history and science.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.