NORTHWESTERN PA. Woman pleads in death of girl, 15

ERIE, Pa. (AP) -- A woman who said she watched as the adoptive mother of a teenager beat the girl four or five times a week pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child.
The 15-year-old girl, who had a congenital heart defect, later died.
Linda Fisher was the housemate of Linda Iarussi, 35, of Millcreek Township, who pleaded no contest last month to aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Fisher also acknowledged that she occasionally struck the girl.
Prosecutors dropped a charge of simple assault in exchange for Fisher's guilty plea. She could receive a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Brittany Legler, a mentally disabled 15-year-old, died of a heart attack May 9 after she collapsed. Brittany's defect contributed to the heart attack, but a coroner said she wouldn't have died were it not for stress brought on by physical abuse.
Legler had 200 bruises and scarred head, lip and ear, an autopsy found.
Both women blamed each other for beating the girl, and Fisher said she watched as Iarussi beat the girl with a hairbrush.
Millcreek Township school officials had made numerous reports of suspected abuse to police, according to prosecutors, school officials and court documents.
Iarussi faces 131/2 to 27 years in prison when she is sentenced Dec. 30.