An east Alabama woman has been sentenced to life in prison for the abuse of her stepdaughter, who had more than 50 signs of trauma covering her body and whose head had been shaved when she died three years ago.

Haley Dee Metz, 33, in September entered a blind plea of guilty to aggravated child abuse of 3-year-old Aydah DiMaso.

A blind plea means that there was no previously agreed upon sentence as part of the deal and a judge would decide her fate.

Etowah County Circuit Judge William Ogletree on Friday handed down the life sentence – with the possibility of parole – to Metz.

Metz’s husband, 25-year-old Nikilas DiMaso, pleaded guilty earlier this year to capital murder and conspiracy to commit child abuse. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“We are so thankful for the outcome,’’ said Aydah’s grandmother, Shundra Powe Davis, following Metz’s sentencing. “Justice was served today.”

According to charging documents, Aydah was killed with DiMaso’s “hands and/or fists” in October 2021.

She was found unresponsive in the bathtub after family members asked police to go to the DiMaso home on Crestview Drive Monday that afternoon for a welfare check.

Family said DiMaso got custody of Aydah less than eight months before her death, despite her maternal grandparents’ fight to have her in their care.

Attorneys for Aydah’s family filed a lawsuit last year against the Alabama Department of Human Resources and individual caseworkers for their alleged roles in the girl’s death.

The lawsuit, filed by Birmingham attorneys Tommy James of Tommy James Law and Jeremy Knowles of Morris Haynes, alleges multiple failures by DHR and caseworkers to protect Aydah from ongoing abuse and neglect.

According to the lawsuit, Aydah’s filthy living conditions included animal feces and urine throughout the home, reports of DiMaso’s drug use, particularly a heroin addiction, and observations of Ayda exhibiting sudden behavior changes.

The suit alleges systematic failings and neglect that allowed the young child to remain in a severely harmful environment despite clear indications she was in danger.

“This case represents an egregious failure of the system that is supposed to protect our most vulnerable children,” James said.

“Aydah’s death could and should have been prevented. We are seeking justice for Aydah and accountability for those whose conduct resulted in her tragic death.”

Aydah was described in a 2021 GoFundMe as a sweet soul with an infectious giggle who was loved by her grandparents who had been fighting for custody of her.

Davis said there wasn’t a dry eye in the courtroom Friday.

“The pictures and text messages presented were so horrendous that my husband, my mom, and I had to step out, and even the judge eventually said he had heard enough,’’ Davis said in a Facebook post in Justice for Aydah.

She said the courtroom was packed with friends, family, Gadsden police office and Etowah County prosecutors.

“I am incredibly grateful to these remarkable individuals for ensuring Aydah received justice,’’ she said.

Davis said Aydah’s family will do everything possible to keep Metz in prison.

“The fight is taking a new direction now,’’ she said. “With both of these individuals imprisoned, we can begin the important work of honoring Aydah’s name through laws that protect other innocent lives from such tragedy.”