Wesley Mathews, 39, sentenced to life in the death of Sherin Mathews

Dallas, Texas
Wesley Mathews, 39, accused in the death of his adopted daughter Sherin Mathews, 3, has been sentenced to life in prison.
The jury deliberated today (Wednesday) afternoon for about three hours before coming to a unanimous decision, reported wfaa.com.
Prosecutors argued that he killed Sherin on October 7, 2017. Her body was recovered two weeks later from under a culvert, a mile away from Mathews’s Richardson home.
Mathews pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of injury to a child, before the trial started on Monday. He was originally charged with capital murder.
While prosecutors asked the jury to hand down a life sentence, defense attorney Rafael De La Garza argued that Mathews was a good father who panicked when his daughter choked and didn't call for help.
After the verdict was read, De La Garza called the sentence ‘cruel and unusual punishment,’ the report said
Mathews initially told police that Sherin went missing after he put her outside because she wouldn't drink her milk. When he returned 15 minutes later to pick up her, she was missing.
On the witness stand during the sentencing trial, Mathews said he panicked after his daughter's accidental death. He said he wrapped her body in a blue trash bag and put her in a culvert so she would be near the home.
Prosecutor Sherre Thomas argued Wednesday that Mathews' testimony was just another lie.
She said testimony and medical records show that it's ‘medically impossible for a child who is 3 years old to stand up and choke to death’ as Mathews claimed. ‘It means he's still a liar. It means he killed that little girl. And when he killed her, he panicked,’ Thomas argued. She also said his claim of performing CPR after she was choked was another lie
De La Garza argued that prosecutors couldn't prove that Mathews killed his child and said he's only guilty of not calling 911.
His wife, Sini Mathews sat in the courtroom during closing arguments.
She did not speak to reporters.