SMYRNA, Del. - A Superior Court Judge has sentenced Kristie Haas to 30 years for the murder of her 3-year-old daughter and the abuse of the toddler’s corpse after leaving the girl’s burned remains at a Smyrna softball field in 2019.
Haas previously pleaded guilty in May to murder by abuse or neglect, abuse of a corpse, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Haas and her husband were arrested in Pennsylvania in 2020 on murder and abuse charges after authorities say they subjected Emma Grace Cole to “torture” and withheld food and medical care from the child.
At this point Haas’ parental rights for her other three children have not been fully terminated, but there is a 10-year no contact order. A family court will have to establish whether or not the mother can have contact with her remaining children after those 10 years has passed.
Superior Court Judge Noel Eason Primos handed down the sentence this morning in Dover. WBOC’s Kristina DeRobertis was present for the sentencing.
Brandon Haas, the toddler's step-father, was sentenced to four years and one month Thursday afternoon.
Cole's biological father Joshua Douthitt spoke before the court asking Brandon be held accountable for failing to report child abuse. In May Brandon plead guilty to a felony county of endangering the welfare of a child. He received a lighter sentence partly due to his cooperation with prosecutors.
Delaware Attorney General, Kathy Jennings released a statement following the sentencing. Saying, "this conviction doesn't just bring certainty in outcome and a lengthy sentence—it ensures that Emma's young siblings, who would otherwise have been absolutely required to testify at trial, will not be re-traumatized by having to relive the terror of Emma's last days."
