WARREN, Ohio- A Trumbull county woman who pleaded guilty to causing the death of a child who was under her care was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday.

Bonnie Pattinson pleaded guilty in October to involuntary manslaughter in the death of three-year-old Tiffany Sue Banks.

Her attorneys said they will appeal the sentence, saying it is too harsh.

Banks died of asphyxiation and prosecutors said she had marks all over her body, including several on her neck that investigators said matched Pattinson's rings.

Pattinson was originally charged with murder in the case, but prosecutors said it would have been difficult to prove that the child's death was intentional.

A request to allow her to remain at home while awaiting sentencing was denied.