COLETON COUNTY, S.C. — A 13-year-old girl with cerebral palsy died after being left unattended for nearly six hours in a scorching car while her mother and boyfriend were inside a nearby home, prosecutors said. Cristina Pangalangan, who was non-verbal and used a wheelchair, succumbed to hyperthermia as temperatures inside the vehicle soared to 135 degrees on Aug. 15, 2019.
According to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Cristina’s mother, Rita Pangalangan, 53, and her boyfriend, Larry King Jr., 45, were in the midst of a methamphetamine binge when they left the girl trapped in the car for five hours and 42 minutes. Surveillance footage showed the couple arguing, sitting on a porch swing, and engaging in intimate behavior while Cristina suffered just feet away.
Prosecutors revealed that King later admitted they had sex inside the home while Cristina remained in the vehicle. Hours later, the pair realized they were locked out of the car and drove to Rita’s house to retrieve a spare key. By the time they returned, Cristina was dead, per KCRG-TV.
An autopsy showed her body temperature had reached 109.9 degrees—the maximum reading on the coroner’s thermometer. A forensic pathologist testified that vomit in Cristina’s lungs indicated she had aspirated stomach fluids as her body shut down.
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In September 2023, a jury convicted Rita and King of murder and inflicting great bodily injury on a child. Rita was sentenced to 37 years in prison, while King received 32 years. Both also face concurrent 20-year sentences for child abuse.
“Cristina couldn’t scream, and she couldn’t open the car door for herself,” said 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone. “This helpless girl died while these two self-absorbed, drug-addled defendants were often no more than a few feet away.”
Rita, a former teacher with the Colleton County School District, resigned days before Cristina’s death. Her teaching license was later permanently revoked.
Despite claims from Rita’s other daughter, Elizabeth Clyde, that her mother “loved Cristina so much,” testimony revealed a pattern of neglect. A teenage babysitter said Rita abandoned Cristina for two nights without food just days before her death. A former roommate also testified that Rita frequently pressured others to care for Cristina, even suggesting leaving her in a car with the windows down.
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