Update: Granite Bay mom sentenced to six years, four months for baby drowning

The Granite Bay woman deemed legally insane at the time she drowned her 8-day-old daughter has been sentenced to six years and four months in state custody.Judge Richard Couzens ruled Friday that Kristina Lynn Fuelling will spend at least six months and perhaps the rest of her life in Patton State Hospital for the death of her daughter, Faith. She will be released from the hospital upon medical review. Her time in the state hospital will count toward her six-year, four-month sentence. If she is released from the state hospital prior to serving her complete sentence, the remainder will be served in a state prison, said Scott Owens, Placer County deputy district attorney.The sentence terms are based on an agreement between Fuelling's attorney, Tom Johnson, and the Placer County District Attorney's Office. "This is the beginning of the end of a tragic chapter in the lives of Kristina and her family," Johnson said in a news release Thursday. "But it also marks the start of a new beginning filled with hope for Kristina's future and for the future of other women who suffer from post-partum depression and psychosis." Two separate medical evaluations found the mother legally insane at the time of the drowning. Johnson said Fuelling's husband and family have remained by her side."The family is actively working with experts and mental health agencies to raise awareness about the devastating combination of factors that so terribly afflicted Kristina and help others battle against this disease." Owens said the sentencing addresses the mental health and punative aspects of the case."We were trying to do what we feel is right for the system to bring justice to the victim and the victim's family and the community," Owens said Friday afternoon. "We're hoping we'll never see a case like this again."The District Attorney's Office has adopted new guidelines for post-partum cases, Owens said, and the county is planning on hosting a forum on post-partum depression in the coming months to further spread awareness on this mental health issue."It's a difficult case," Owens said. "What's come out of this is the family of the victim has taken steps and we have new guidelines in post partum cases, and that's a positive thing."