Spanaway woman pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of 2-year-old son

Almost four years ago, 2-year-old Nathan Iverson drank methamphetamine-laced water from his mother’s bong and died.

She watched and did nothing for two hours, until she noticed her little boy wasn’t breathing.

Friday, Alyia Iverson, 27, learned the official price for her actions: 6  1/2 years in prison, with credit for almost two years time served, and a first-degree manslaughter conviction attached to her name.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Brian Tollefson pronounced the sentence immediately after accepting Iverson’s guilty plea: the result of an agreement between prosecutors and her defense attorney.

The case had dragged for two years; Iverson was charged originally in July 2014.

The courtroom was quiet, with few spectators on hand apart from Iverson’s sister. Defense attorney Philip Thornton did most of the talking.

“She is a long-term sufferer of methamphetamine abuse, and has made some very poor decisions in her life, none of which will follow her as tragically as this one will,” Thornton said.

“She was homeless, she was jobless, she felt that she had nowhere else to turn. She is agreeing to accept responsibility for her actions. We believe this is a just sentence.”

Tollefson asked Iverson if she understood the agreement. Iverson said yes.

Had her attorney explained it to her? Yes.

Did she understand the other restrictions that would follow, including community supervision and fines? Yes.

Did she have anything else to say?

“I accept responsibility for what happened to my son,” she said. “I have to live with that for the rest of my life. No one’s gonna be more sorry than I am.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Spanaway woman pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of 2-year-old son."