Updated 10/09/2009 10:52 PM
Paterson Signs Child Abuse Bill Into Law
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Governor David Paterson signed a bill named for child abuse victim Nixzmary Brown into law Friday.
Under the law, offenders who kill a child in a particularly horrible way, specifically when torture is involved, can now face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Nixzmary Brown was a seven-year-old Brooklyn girl whose killing shocked the city in 2006. She was savagely beaten to death by her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, after years of abuse and neglect.
Rodriguez is serving 29 years for manslaughter.
Nixzaliz Santiago, Nixzmary Brown's mother, was sentenced to 43 years behind bars for manslaughter, assault, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.