# Babysitter avoids life sentence after smothering 9-month-old

> Texas babysitter gets 30-year prison term for smothering infant with pillow.
- Title: Babysitter avoids life sentence after smothering 9-month-old
- Summary: Texas babysitter gets 30-year prison term for smothering infant with pillow. Dulce Gomez, 59, avoided life sentence after pleading guilty to murder of…
- Keywords: dulce gomez, fabian arjon, tarrant county, fort worth police, capital murder, plea deal, smothering, infant death, 30 years prison, crime, news, Babysitter
- Source: Law & Crime — https://lawandcrime.com/crime/babysitter-who-fatally-smothered-9-month-old-with-pillow-avoids-life-sentence
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: dulce gomez, fabian arjon, tarrant county, fort worth police, capital murder, plea deal, smothering, infant death, 30 years prison, crime, news
## Babysitter sentenced to prison
A 59-year-old babysitter in Texas has been sentenced to prison for smothering a 9-month-old in her care with a pillow nearly two years ago.
## Judge imposes 30-year sentence
Tarrant County Judge Julie Lugo sentenced Dulce Gomez to 30 years in a state correctional facility in connection with the death of Fabian Arjon.
## Plea deal with prosecutors
Gomez struck a plea deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of murder after initially facing one count of capital murder of a person under 10 years old.
## Parole eligibility after 15 years
Gomez must serve at least 15 years of her sentence before she is eligible for parole, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
## Emergency response to infant death
Officers with the Fort Worth Police Department and emergency medical personnel responded on Nov. 4, 2024, to a home on West Vista Circle for a report of an unresponsive infant.
## Infant transported to hospital
Paramedics transported the baby to Cook Children's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
## Medical examiner confirms homicide
The medical examiner determined that Fabian's manner of death was a homicide and the cause of death was suffocation.
## No motive or relationship revealed
Authorities have not provided a motive for the killing or explained Gomez's relationship to Fabian and his family.
## Immigration status questioned
During Monday's sentencing hearing, Lugo questioned Gomez about the plea agreement and her immigration status.
## Gomez not a U.S. citizen
Gomez reportedly acknowledged that she is not a U.S. citizen and confirmed that she understood she could be deported as a result of her conviction.
## Capital murder would have meant life without parole
If Gomez had been convicted on the capital murder charge, she would have faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the chance for parole.
## DA's office statement
The DA's office thanked the Fort Worth Police Department for their work on the case and for their commitment to keeping the community safe.
## Consequence of sentence
Gomez will serve 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole, avoiding life sentence for the murder of a 9-month-old infant.
## Key takeaway

Dulce Gomez, 59, avoided life sentence after pleading guilty to murder of 9-month-old Fabian Arjon in November 2024.