A mother who set fire to her young daughter in a voodoo ritual has been sentenced to 17 years in jail.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter scolded Marie Lauradin for lying to cops and probation officers about how her daughter, Frantzcia Saintil, was set on fire, leaving her with life-altering scars over 25 percent of her body.
Michelle Wood said she was attacked by members of a voodoo group when she refused to participate in drug use and devil worship in a ceremony related to the autumnal equinox.
But cult experts said Wood’s story didn’t line up with known voodoo practices.
A woman found beaten and lying on the side of U.S. 1 in St. Johns County told deputies she ended up that way after a voodoo ceremony in Flagler County related to the autumnal equinox.
Michelle Rene Wood, 42, of Palm Coast was found covered in blood with both eyes swollen shut early Monday, according to a St. Johns County sheriff’s report. A rope was tied around her right wrist and a bungee cord around her left ankle, the report states.