A Duchesne County woman who pleaded Guilty to 1st Degree Felony Child Abuse Homicide in 2020 and who was arrested last fall on a new offense of Child Abuse has been transferred to the State Prison. Court documents show that 46-year-old Lisa Jo Vanderlinden was arrested on October 18th, 2023 for the offense of Intentional Child Abuse with Injury for allegedly slapping her adopted child and leaving a mark for several days on multiple occasions. Court records show that on November 7th, 2018, Vanderlinden was charged in 8th District Court with 1st Degree Felony Aggravated Murder in the death of her 2-year-old foster son who had been in her primary care since April 2017. In March of 2020, Vanderlinden changed her plea to Guilty of 1st Degree Felony Child Abuse Homicide ahead of a jury trial scheduled for that month. While that carries a penalty of 5 years to life in prison and a $10,000 dollar fine, her sentencing in July of 2020 reduced the penalty to 1 year in jail, probation, and a $10,000 dollar fine. Following the sentencing, the Utah Attorney General’s Office issued a statement calling the Court’s decision “beyond disappointing” and a “travesty” that “undermines the confidence of the public in our justice system’s ability to protect kids from abuse and homicide.” Soon after, the biological parents of the 2-year-old killed filed a Civil Suit claiming that even before fostering their 2-year-old, Vanderlinden had three occasions of parents accusing her of abusing foster children. The court ordered that case dismissed in February 2023. Court documents show that after she was arrested on the new Child Abuse charge last fall, Vanderlinden was brought into custody of the Duchesne County Jail. Evidentiary and other hearings were held through last month. On May 6th, the Judge issued a post sentencing judgment finding that with the defendant found in violation of probation and following extensive review, Vanderlinden is to serve the original Sentence of 5 years to life in the Utah State Prison for Child Abuse Homicide. She was remanded into the custody of the Department of Corrections Utah State Prison that day. A pretrial conference is scheduled for June 3rd on the 2023 Child Abuse charge which Vanderlinden will attend remotely from the Utah State Prison.
