MONTICELLO – A 60-year-old Lawrence Countywoman was ordered to spend the next decade in prison Friday afterpleading guilty to sexual battery in what was originally a capitalmurder case.

    Mary Grandberry, of Silver Creek, was sentenced to 20 years inprison, with 10 years suspended, by Circuit Court Judge PrentissHarrell. The other 10 years of her sentence will be spent in thecustody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

    Grandberry was also ordered to pay the cost of court, a $1,500 fineand $1,500 to the public defender’s fund.

    Grandberry pleaded guilty last month to sexual battery in the caseof her infant granddaughter, Daria K’Mya Grandberry. The4-month-old died of internal hemorrhaging at Marion GeneralHospital in Columbia on July 21, 2004, due to “complicationsresulting from molestation,” according to the coroner’s report.

    The elder Grandberry was arrested in September 2004 and chargedwith capital murder in the infant’s death. The case was set fortrial last month after several years of delays due to “exhaustivemotions filed by the defense,” according to officials from the 15thCircuit Court District Attorney’s Office.

    District Attorney Haldon Kittrell said a charge reduction deal wasmade days before the trial was set to begin after his officelearned a defense expert witness planned to testify that theinfant’s death was due to a liver malfunction and not because ofthe prosecution’s torture and molestation claims.

    “We had to evaluate the case, and we looked at it and believed itwould be in the best interest for everyone,” he saidpreviously.

    Public Defender Bob Evans, who was assisted in Grandberry’s defenseby the Capital Defense Group of Jackson, said Grandberry acceptedthe reduced charge because of her desire to “get everything overwith.”

    “She decided it was in her best interest not to go to court on acapital murder case,” said Evans at the time of the reduction deal.”She wanted to get everything over with, get the family out of thesituation it’s been in for years now.”

    Before being sentenced, Grandberry asked for a week with herfamily, including her great-grandbaby, before being sent to prison.Harrell said he would take the matter under advisement afterreceiving a report from MDOC about the matter.

    She remained composed while receiving the sentence. After beingsentenced, she was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs byofficers from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department.

    Sheriff Joel Thames, whose department investigated the case sinceits beginning, said he was glad for closure in the seven-yearcase.

    “She will serve every day of the sentence, and I’m OK with that,”he said at the time of the plea reduction.