A Texas father will spend the next 18 years in prison following a guilty plea in a manslaughter case. Daniel Schwartz, 48, reportedly forced his 8-year-old adopted daughter, Jaylin, to jump on a trampoline as a form of punishment. Daniel Schwartz and his wife, Ashley Schwartz, subjected the child to cruel treatment that ultimately killed her. Now, he will pay for his crime.
According to a news release from the Ector County district attorney, “The case dates back to August 29, 2020, when law enforcement responded to a medical emergency involving an 8-year-old girl. Investigators later discovered that Daniel and his wife, Ashley, had forced their daughter to jump on a trampoline for an extended period without food or water as a form of punishment. The trampoline’s surface temperature was approximately 110 degrees at the time.”
At the time of her death, the couple had custody of both Jaylin and her sister, Jayde.
A statement on a GoFundMe account set up at the time reveals the pain the girl’s biological mother felt.
“Jaylin and Jayde’s biological mother, Alysha Anderton, was in the process of fighting to see the girls at the time of Jaylin’s death. She states, ‘I was too late. And all I can think about is her leaving this world not knowing how much I love her and how much I wanted her,” the page reads. “It’s not fair that they got so many memories with her and all I’m left with is a hole in my heart that’s so big that I’m completely numb and empty. A part of my soul has died and I will never be the same ever again.’ Alysha is still fighting to gain access to Jayde.”
A court convicted Ashley Schwartz of capital murder in 2023, according to USA Today. She will spend the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Several comments on the Ector County district attorney’s Facebook page expressed disappointment in the sentence for Daniel Schwartz.
One commenter wrote, “This is unacceptable. He tortured this child. He should have received life with out the possibility of parole. Is this what Odessa has to look forward to?”
This person agreed and commented, “Why not life without possibility of parole like the wife? That was torture for that child torture.”
