New York’s Staten Island. According to court documents, a Staten Island woman who was accused of choking her mother to death inside their South Shore house two years ago has been given a prison sentence.
In the state Supreme Court in St. George, 42-year-old Huguenot Mauri Belarmino already entered a guilty plea to a charge of first-degree homicide.
Her mother, Sherylyn Bailey, 74, was a well-liked educator on Staten Island, a writer, and a community activist who twice overcame breast cancer.
Justice Lisa Grey sentenced Belarmino to 14 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision on December 5 in exchange for her plea.
The defendant was charged with second-degree murder, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of 25 years to life in prison.
S. Maquita Moody, the Legal Aid Society’s deputy attorney-in-charge at the time, represented her in the case.
During the country’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Sherylyn Bailey led a workshop at the College of Staten Island called “Become the Author of Your Own Life.” (Hilton Flores/Staten Island Advance)
Family dispute turns violent
Officers responded to a 911 report about an unconscious woman at 43 Ramapo Ave. at approximately noon on September 10, 2022, according to the police.
Before the medical examiner determined that the death was a homicide by strangling, it was initially believed to have occurred naturally.
According to sources, a furious quarrel inside their house sparked the attack. According to the neighbors, Belarmino’s adolescent son and they have been residents for over a decade.
A neighbor claims that a man who was once believed to be Belarmino’s significant other lived at the house but left before the murder.
At the time, Belarmino was employed by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as a pediatric nurse. She was once an officer with the NYPD.
In 2022, police were called to the Huguenot residence where Mauri Belarmino, right, allegedly lived with her mother and teenage son after officials determined that 74-year-old Sherylyn Bailey had strangled to death. (Facebook/Staten Island Advance) Facebook
Haunting Facebook posts
Belarmino shared a number of enigmatic posts on social media in the months preceding the murder, providing insight into her state of mind at the time.
She wrote in July of 2022:
Mom. She has always supported me when it matters most, even though we have been through a lot together. I also wish to support her.
She remarked, “I know the pain of being almost there in terms of greatness because I inherited some of her dreams.” However, she is already excellent. She is incredible.
She continued, “I’m very fortunate to have her as a mother.” Maybe one day I’ll be able to spoil her the way I want to. Or perhaps she will get a boyfriend, which would be adorable.
She stated on August 9, 2022, claiming she had just left the hospital and that her Twitter and Instagram accounts were completely messed up.
She shared a picture of a tweet with the words, “You deserve the best,” a few weeks after her mother was discovered dead but before it was officially declared a homicide. The haziest of walks in cemeteries. The smoothest liner for a coffin. The most eerily haunted castle. The most vicious of hellhounds.
Don’t allow anyone to tell you that you’re a recluse. According to the article, the locals tell tales about you being an immortal countess with a terrible secret.
A fixture in the community
Friends and relatives were shocked to learn of Bailey’s passing.
Before retiring, Bailey taught social studies for almost 20 years at Rocco Laurie Intermediate School (I.S. 72) in New Springville. She was well known for bridging the gap between the classroom and the community. She would go on to become the school’s dean of students.
In the days after her passing, one of her former students posted on social media, “RIP to the best teacher I ever had, I’m gonna miss you.”
She participated in fundraising campaigns for breast cancer advocacy and research while serving as a coordinator for Strides Against Breast Cancer.
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