BY KEITH EPPS
Brandi L. Blanken Wallace has obviously made a good impression on her children's fathers.
But she didn't make enough of an impression on Stafford Circuit Court Judge Charles Sharp to get him to reduce the 71/2-year prison sentence a jury recommended in May after convicting her of child abuse and unlawful wounding.
Defense attorney Vanessa Jordan lobbied heavily for Sharp to suspend most or all of the time Wallace was facing.
Among the witnesses she called were the fathers of Wallace's daughters, including the parent of one who just turned 3 months old.
Both described her as a great mother who would never intentionally hurt one of her kids.
But Sharp upheld the jury decision, saying he was not "going to gamble with the lives of children."
Wallace and her husband, Joshua Scott Wallace, 33, were both convicted as the result of crippling injuries suffered by their son, also named Joshua Wallace, in late 2005.
The child was 10 weeks old when he was flown to VCU Medical Center on Dec. 30, 2005. His injuries included skull fractures, a broken clavicle and severe retinal hemorrhaging, according to evidence presented by prosecutor Eric Olsen. The child nearly died and has permanent brain damage.
Brandi Wallace has claimed throughout that she accidentally dropped the child when she suffered an epileptic seizure.
She testified yesterday that "for three years I have suffered and watched my son suffer from something I caused and couldn't control."
A neurosurgeon put on by Jordan at trial supported Wallace's explanation, saying the baby had an undiagnosed birth injury that contributed to the damage.
But two doctors called by Olsen testified that the extensive injuries suffered by the child could not have occurred during such a short fall.
Olsen attacked the claim again yesterday, telling Wallace, "you've been lying to everybody since this happened. Don't you think it's time to tell the truth?"
The jury recommended 21/2 years in prison for Joshua Wallace after convicting him of child abuse.
Sharp gave him that sentence yesterday, but suspended 17 months that Wallace had already served while awaiting trial.
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com