ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke woman will spend 10 years behind bars for the 2016 death of her infant son, according to Roanoke Circuit Court.
Nicole Zimmerman was found guilty of felony homicide and child abuse charges. The cruelty to children charge was dismissed.
Zimmerman received a 20-year sentence for the homicide charge, which will be suspended after 10 years. She also received a 10 year suspended sentence for the child abuse charge and the count of child cruelty was dismissed by the judge.
In July 2016, her 6-month-old son was hospitalized for a medical emergency. Doctors found the 12-pound boy suffered from brain bleeding and retinal hemorrhages in both eyes.
The boy died less than a month later.
The medical examiner ruled that the child died from blunt force trauma that likely came from being shaken.