Orgal Opata was sentenced Thursday to at least 10 years in prison for killing her two sons, who died in a fire at their home in west Charlotte in February 2010. Opata, who pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, had left her children at home alone when a kerosene heater sparked the fire that killed Josiah and Gabriel Hawthorne. Josiah was 2 years old; Gabriel was 1. Neighbors who heard screams of "Mommy! Mommy!" helped the boys' 7-year-old sister and 4-year-old brother escape. The children were taken into DSS custody. Opata, 27, also pleaded guilty to three counts of felony child abuse and four counts of exposing children to fire. Opata wept as she talked about the loss of her children. "I made the biggest mistake of my life when I decided to leave my children unattended...," she told the judge. "I am paying for that mistake each and every day.". Superior Court Judge Bob Bell sentenced Opata to a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 13 years and eight months in prison. The Charlotte Observer
Mother Sentenced To At Least 10 Years In Kids' Deaths
