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Amanda Brumfield, Billy Bob Thornton’s daughter, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a jury convicted her of aggravated manslaughter of a child. She was released on September 3, 2020, after serving nine years, according to the Innocence Project of Florida. The available sources do not establish that her conviction was overturned or that she received a pardon.
What was Amanda Brumfield convicted of?
The case followed the October 2008 death of Olivia Madison Garcia, the one-year-old daughter of Brumfield’s friend. Brumfield said Olivia fell while trying to climb out of a playpen. Prosecution witnesses argued that the child’s injuries could not have been caused by a fall from that height; those were competing accounts presented in the case, not a single uncontested description of what happened. The Innocence Project of Florida’s case summary and contemporaneous CBS/AP coverage recount the case.
In May 2011, a jury found Brumfield guilty of aggravated manslaughter of a child. It acquitted her of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. The distinction matters: the conviction was for manslaughter, not murder. The Innocence Project of Florida’s clemency application records the verdict and sentence.
How long was her sentence, and how much time did she serve?
On October 6, 2011, the circuit court sentenced Brumfield to 20 years in prison. The Innocence Project of Florida reports that she was released on September 3, 2020, after serving nine years. The sentence imposed and the time she ultimately spent in prison are different figures: the first was 20 years; the second, as reported by the organization, was nine years. The clemency application and the organization’s case page give those details.
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Why was Brumfield released in 2020?
The Innocence Project of Florida says Brumfield was pursuing post-conviction relief and had an evidentiary hearing planned for early September 2020. According to the organization, prosecutors offered an agreement shortly before the hearing under which she could be released immediately if she stopped pressing her innocence in court. It reports that she was released September 3, 2020. This account of the agreement is the organization’s explanation of the release; it should not be confused with a court finding that resolved the underlying innocence claim. The Innocence Project of Florida’s account describes the arrangement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was her conviction overturned or was she pardoned?
The sources cited here do not establish that Brumfield’s conviction was overturned or that she was granted a pardon. The clemency application says Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment and sentence on November 5, 2013; rehearing was denied in December, and the court issued its mandate on January 2, 2014. The Innocence Project of Florida says it continues to advocate for a pardon. That advocacy, and its position that new medical and scientific testimony supports an accidental fall, are claims by the organization rather than adjudicated findings. The application and the case page set out those positions and procedural details.
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What the case’s status means
- Jury verdict: aggravated manslaughter of a child; acquitted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.
- Sentence: 20 years, imposed October 6, 2011.
- Prison release: September 3, 2020, after nine years served, according to the Innocence Project of Florida.
- Later legal status in the sources: the appellate court affirmed the judgment and sentence; the reviewed sources do not establish a subsequent reversal or pardon.
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