‘REBECCA IS INNOCENT’

Her Boyfriend Killed Her Toddler—but She’s Going to Prison

A judge did cut Rebecca Hogue a break, though, after the jury recommended life in prison under a “failure to protect” law.

When Rebecca Hogue’s 2-year-old son was beaten to death by her boyfriend in 2019, she wasn’t there; she was working a shift as a cocktail waitress. But Oklahoma authorities charged Hogue with murder under “failure to protect” laws—arguing she knew the child was being abused by Christopher Trent—and a jury that convicted her recommended life in prison. On Friday, a judge gave her life, but suspended all but 16 months of the sentence, saying she did not deserve to die behind bars, according to the Norman Telegraph. As for Trent, he will not face justice; he killed himself in the woods after carving “Rebecca is innocent” into a tree.