It’ll be up to 40 years in prison for a Ventura woman who pleaded guilty to striking her mother with a frying pan multiple times last year. Forty-seven-year-old Valerie Hasbrouck was initially charged with attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to four separate counts of willful injury in July.
Authorities contended Hasbrouck attacked her 81-year-old mother, Tressa Waddingham, on December 3rd of last year at Waddingham’s rural Ventura home, striking her four times with a cast-iron frying pan. Waddingham told authorities she played dead while Hasbrouck made it look like her home had been burglarized before calling 9-1-1.
When authorities arrived, they found Waddingham wasn’t dead and she identified her daughter as the person who attacked her. Waddingham addressed the court and Hasbrouck with a victim impact statement during Monday’s proceedings, saying what appeared to be an enjoyable winter day with her daughter ended up in tragedy. She says Hasbrouck called her the night before the incident saying she’d walk down on an icy day to bring down a casserole, leading Waddingham to bake Hasbrouck’s favorite cookies…but in turn, Hasbrouck ended up permanently damaging their relationship.
Hasbrouck expressed remorse for her actions to the court before being sentenced. She says she has deep regrets that she’ll have to live with, and she hopes she can make some changes in the future. Judge John Mackey sentenced Hasbrouck for up to ten years on each of willful injury charges, with the sentences to run back-to-back with credit for time served. Hasbrouck must also pay $26-hundred-50 in restitution as well as court and attorneys fees.