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Woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering Arizona girl she was trying to adopt

The defendant claimed the young girl died from falling down repeatedly. Prosecutors say the victim's injuries weren't consistent with falling.

PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — A woman in Pinal County was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the 2015 death of a 3-year-old girl.

Shawn Main, 53, was sentenced in Pinal County Superior Court after a judge found her guilty of first-degree murder and child abuse. 

Main was found guilty of being involved in the death of a young girl named Tiana the defendant was reportedly trying to adopt. 

Tiana was brought to a hospital in Casa Grande with injuries across her body and suffering from severe diaper rash. 

The Pinal County Attorney's Office said the girl died from blunt force trauma and she had sustained a dozen impact wounds to her head and face. Main claimed Tiana's injuries were the result of her falling repeatedly.

PCAO said Main has not accepted responsibility and told the judge he "got it so wrong" after she was found guilty.

   

UP TO SPEED

What is the Valley?:

“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest. 

The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:

  • Mesa
  • Chandler
  • Scottsdale
  • Tempe
  • Glendale
  • Surprise
  • Peoria
  • Gilbert
  • El Mirage
  • Avondale
  • Litchfield Park
  • Goodyear
  • Buckeye

Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.

The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.

How big is Maricopa County?

Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.

The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).

One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.

The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.

The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.

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