ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – Cathleen Koch gave her 10-month-old son a long hug and several kisses moments before she was taken into custody Wednesday to begin the eight-year prison sentence Judge Timothy Q. Sheldon issued for her role in the 2010 attack on her then-1-year-old daughter at a St. Charles motel.

Koch, 30, had pleaded guilty to 13 counts associated with the attack on her daughter, Molly, by her then-boyfriend, James C. Cooper. Molly suffered severe injuries in the beating and is expected to never live independently.

Sheldon announced the sentence after more than two hours of closing arguments by Assistant State's Attorney Joe Cullen and defense attorney Liz Lovig.

Sheldon never observed remorse from Koch, whose statements were "I focused," he said. He noted it is "inconceivable" that a loving parent would not have sacrificed "life and limb" to protect her child.

Koch's eight-year sentence to the Illinois Department of Corrections is about half of the 15-year sentence Cooper agreed to, which Sheldon said was appropriate.

Read more in tomorrow's Kane County Chronicle.