Rita Pangalangan has been accused of neglect and murder in a trial that commenced on August 29th. The case centres on the untimely death of her 13-year-old daughter, Cristina Pangalangan, who was disabled and tragically succumbed to heatstroke on August 5th, 2019. The young girl was left unattended inside a parked Volkswagen for a prolonged period of five hours and 41 minutes, leading to her unfortunate demise.
Who is Rita Pangalangan?
Rita Pangalangan, a 53-year-old resident of South Carolina, has been found guilty of the murder of her 13-year-old daughter, Cristina Pangalangan, who passed away in 2019. The victim, who suffered from cerebral palsy, succumbed to heatstroke on August 5, 2019, after being left unattended inside a Volkswagen car for several hours in extreme temperatures.
Rita Pangalangan sentence explored
Rita Pangalangan and Larry King have been found guilty of murder in relation to the death of 13-year-old Cristina Pangalangan in 2019. Pangalangan has been sentenced to 37 years for murder and great bodily harm, while King has been sentenced to 32 years for the same charges.
Additionally, Pangalangan has been sentenced to 20 years for a separate charge, which will be served concurrently with the murder charge and with credit for time served. King has also been sentenced to 20 years for a separate charge, which will be served concurrently with the murder charge.
Both Pangalangan and King were charged with committing a crime with another person, but the jury found them not guilty of conspiracy. During the more than two hours of deliberation, the jury asked two questions about the specifics of the charges against the couple.
Cristina died on August 5, 2019, after spending over five and a half hours alone in the backseat of her mother’s car, which was parked outside King’s home. Cristina had cerebral palsy and was unable to speak or walk by herself.
The state prosecution, led by Solicitor Duffie Stone and Deputy Solicitor Sean Thornton, argued that the couple deliberately left the disabled girl in the car “like baggage.” Investigators testified that the couple had tested positive for meth on the day of the incident. The jury was able to watch a security video from King’s house that showed the car for the entire four hours that Cristina sat in the back, as well as all the activity of the couple around the car. Upon hearing the guilty verdict for murder, Rita Pangalangan reacted emotionally, gasping “Oh my God” and doubling over in sobs.
In the aftermath, the defense presented a counterargument, asserting that the unfortunate incident was a tragic accident. Larry King provided testimony indicating that the vehicle was operational when he placed Cristina in the rear seat. Rita Pangalangan, exercising her legal right, opted not to provide testimony. Elizabeth Clyde, one of Cristina’s daughters, delivered a poignant testimony on her mother’s behalf, at times overcome with emotion.
The defense counsel, Dayne Phillips, who is representing Rita Pangalangan, expressed his condolences for the unfortunate incident. However, he contested the charge of murder against his client. Phillips acknowledged that there were errors committed, but he maintained that the defendants did not have any intention to cause the demise of Cristina. He emphasized that although there were repercussions, the case did not meet the criteria for a murder charge.
