Sarah Michelle Gilley-Wroe receives life sentence in Midland
A Texas jury convicted the 24-year-old of capital murder for the 2022 death of her infant daughter.
By Rafael Bailey ·
Sarah Michelle Gilley-Wroe will spend the rest of her life in a Texas prison. A jury in Midland sentenced the 24-year-old on Friday to life without the possibility of parole.
The verdict followed a conviction on one count of capital murder of a child under 10. The court found Gilley-Wroe responsible for the death of her daughter, who was five weeks old at the time.
Medical records from Midland Memorial Hospital confirmed the infant died on May 11, 2022. Doctors attributed the death to severe head trauma. Evidence indicated the child suffered two fractures in the back of her skull consistent with blunt force impact.
Detectives reviewed Gilley-Wroe’s phone and found Google searches that supported the prosecution's case. While in custody, she told a cellmate she threw the baby against a wall. She added that she struck the child until the crying stopped.
Authorities noted that Gilley-Wroe was the only person alone with the infant during the window when the injury likely occurred. She previously suggested her aunt, the baby’s father, or her dog could have caused the harm.
Medical experts estimated the force required to create the specific skull fractures. They compared that impact to the force generated by a fall from a two-story building.
