• Mother sentenced after child dies in hot car during cosmetic procedure
• Court hands 15 years to life

A California court has convicted Maya Hernandez of child abuse after leaving her two sons in a hot car, resulting in the death of her one-year-old son.

Authorities said the child, Amillio, died after being left in the vehicle while Hernandez underwent a cosmetic procedure, with his two-year-old brother, Mateo, also in the car.

Hernandez previously pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, and the charge of murder was dropped.

Last December, a jury was deadlocked on a second-degree murder charge, leading to a mistrial on that count and the involuntary manslaughter charge; Hernandez was convicted of child endangerment.

In June, Hernandez drove from Visalia to Bakersfield for a cosmetic procedure, leaving the children in the car with snacks, cartoons on her phone, and the air conditioning on.

Police investigation revealed the AC shut off after about an hour, leaving the children in temperatures above 38°C, while Hernandez spent over two and a half hours inside the spa.

When the children were found, they were extremely lethargic, and Amillio showed no signs of life at the hospital and later died.

The father, Rosendo Gutierrez, spoke after the sentencing, explaining he was in prison at the time for unrelated charges and describing the painful moment he learned of his son's death and his other son's hospitalization.