Charlene Snyder, 29, leaves District Judge David Wall's courtroom after being sentenced to 10 years to life in the death of her daughter, 2. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

Two-year-old Adacelli Snyder died two years ago with lice-infested hair, surrounded by garbage and with bruised and insect-bitten skin so emaciated that it hardly contained her tiny ribs.

Prosecutor Vicki Monroe showed to District Judge David Wall on Monday a photo of the dead child that investigators took in June 2005.

Wall sentenced Adacelli's mother, Charlene Snyder, to the maximum sentence of 10 years to life in prison Monday for second-degree murder by child neglect.

Adacelli suffered from cerebral palsy and, according to authorities, died of neglect and malnutrition in the back bedroom on a broken bed of an east Las Vegas mobile home on June 29, 2005.

"She let her lie in that back bedroom basically dying day by day," Monroe said.

Snyder, 29, asked for forgiveness from the court and a lesser sentence of 10 to 25 years.

"I don't know how to take care of a special-needs child," she said.

The family was reported twice to Clark County Child Protective Services in July 2003, but the agency had a history of intervention with the family dating back to 2002.

Snyder's boyfriend, Jack Richardson, 26, has also been charged with second-degree murder and four counts of child abuse and endangerment. His case is expected to go to trial in March.

Snyder's defense attorney, David Schieck, questioned what might have happened if Child Protective Services had properly monitored the family.

"There are a lot of things in this case that are tragic," he said.

Snyder was originally charged with murder and an additional four counts of child abuse and endangerment.

Last November, she pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charge. Schieck said she wanted to avoid what would have been a highly publicized trial and spare her other children from any pain.

Schieck emphasized Monday that Snyder has a clean criminal record. "She's accepted responsibility for the death of her daughter."

But Monroe detailed the most horrifying aspects of the case for Wall prior to sentencing.

The morning of the child's death, Snyder checked on her daughter at about 6 a.m. About six hours later, she fed the other children breakfast and repositioned Adacelli's arms in her crib so she could suck on her fingers, Monroe said. At about 1:30 p.m., the third time she checked on Adacelli, the baby was dead.

When emergency responders arrived rigor mortis had already set in on the 11-pound girl, Monroe said.

Snyder's two other girls, who were 3 and 5 at the time and are now living with a relative, also had severe head lice. They shared a room with Adacelli that was infested with insects.

There was no bedding on the soiled mattresses. There was animal and human feces smeared on walls, Monroe said.

During a grand jury investigation, a Las Vegas police officer noted the toilet in the home was inoperative. The bottles Snyder used to feed the babies were moldy and cats roamed the place without a litter box.

Monroe said Snyder had spent $140, money that came from the federal government to help with Adacelli's condition, on drugs.

"That is how Adacelli Snyder lived the final months of her life," she said.

Snyder's infant son, who emergency responders said was also undernourished, lived in a much cleaner bedroom with Snyder and Richardson, his biological father. "I apologize to my family for not taking care of her the proper way," Snyder said through tears. "That's the only I way I knew how to take care of her."