Phelps County woman sentenced to 20 years after she was accused of severely abusing a baby

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley announced on Wednesday that Christa Mueller was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in severely abusing her 17-month old child in April of 2006.

Hawley said Mueller was convicted by a Phelps County jury in September 2017.

Mueller and her boyfriend, Calvin Alford, were both charged with assault after the child was treated for bleeding on her brain, contusions to her brain, a skull fracture, three fractures to her right arm, two collapsed lungs and multiple bruises to her body. All the injuries were consistent with child abuse.

Hawley said the evidence was clear that the baby was struck or was struck against something multiple times over a period of time.

Mueller and Alford were accused of failing to seek medical treatment for up to 16 hours.

Hawley said the child is now blind, unable to walk or sit up, unable to speak or understand language, requires feeding through a tube and has seizures multiple times a day.

“Protecting Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens is a priority,” Hawley said. “My office will not stand for abuse of this nature and will work to see that perpetrators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”