Madera mother sentenced for killing toddler and baby. Father pleaded guilty to one death

A Madera mother was sentenced to prison on Friday for killing her 2-year-old son, Thaddeus Sran, in 2020, and 4-month-old daughter, Divina Sran, in 2015.

Briseida Sran will spend 28 years and eight months in prison for their deaths.

Their father, Sukhjinder Sran, also pleaded guilty to Thaddeus’ killing. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Sukhjinder did not plead guilty to Divina’s murder and was out of town when the girl was killed, Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno said.

Briseida was convicted on two counts of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of felony child endangerment, and for the mutilation of a body. Sukhjinder was also convicted of voluntary manslaughter.

Prosecutors said the children had disabilities. The Bee reported that Thaddeus and Divina were both born premature and had medical needs. Thaddeus’ burned remains were found in an orchard in 2020 after the boy was reported missing. Investigators then reopened a case regarding Divina’s death that had cleared her parents’ of wrongdoing in 2015.

The Friday sentencing at Madera County Superior Court complied with the sentencing agreement the couple entered into in June.

“For the death of two children, this might not seem like a significant enough sentence,” Moreno said. “However, in every case, we have to deal with the evidence that we have, and how that evidence will come in at trial, and what our likelihood of prevailing is on a variety of charges.”

In this case, Moreno said the prosecution and defense decided the 28-year and 11-year sentences for Briseida and Sukhjinder would be a “reasonable resolution for everyone.”

“When we go to trial, every time we run the risk of potentially getting a not-guilty verdict,” Moreno continued. “And so based on how big that risk is, based on our evidence and a number of other factors, that’s how we come to these kind of resolutions. I was very glad that we were able to reach back to 2015 ... so there was justice today not only for Thaddeus, but also for his sister, Divina.”