Pennsylvania woman sentenced for choking child, telling her to 'die,' and hiding injuries with butter

LANCASTER, Pa. (TCN) -- A woman was recently sentenced to state prison after admitting to beating and choking a young girl and then trying to hide her injuries.

The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said in a March 26 news release that a judge sentenced 36-year-old Esmeralda Lugo to four to eight years after she pleaded guilty earlier this month to aggravated assault and strangulation.

According to prosecutors, on the evening of Jan. 24, 2024, Lugo struck the 9-year-old victim in the face with the back of a brush multiple times. The physical assault caused a "noticeable injury" to the girl's eye, and Lugo reportedly tried to hide it with ice, makeup, salt, and butter. Authorities did not specify the relationship between the defendant and the child.

Per the district attorney's office, the victim told police her "injuries were so painful that she was unable to sleep on the bruised side of her face." Lugo also allegedly punched the child in the back and strangled her "while repeating the word 'die.'" The 9-year-old girl reportedly said she couldn't breathe for approximately 10 seconds while Lugo choked her.

According to prosecutors, the victim told a school staff member about the attack, and a counselor reported the incident to law enforcement. That same day, Manor Township Police and Lancaster County Children & Youth removed the 9-year-old girl and her baby sibling from the defendant's residence.

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