Destiny D’Urso stood in a Baltimore City courthouse Thursday — and couldn’t hold back the tears.

“There is no excuse,” she told Circuit Judge Timothy Doory. “I can’t apologize enough.”

The reason for D’Urso’s distress was the death of her 2-year-old son, Anthony, whom prosecutors said her boyfriend, Paul Highfield, beat to death while her drug problem distracted her from the abuse.

Doory agreed with a plea deal and sentenced D’Urso, 27, to a 10-year suspended sentence and probation. She also will receive treatment for her heroin addiction.

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Highfield, 28, who also pleaded guilty to manslaughter, was given 10 years earlier this week.

Prosecutor Julie Drake said the two defendants’ remorse stood in “stark contrast” to each other.

“He has shown absolutely no remorse whatsoever,” Drake said of Highfield.

The boy’s injuries were violent enough to have been caused by a “serious car crash,” prosecutors said.

D’Urso left her house Sept. 12, 2006, on the 1200 block of East Patapsco Avenue, leaving her son in Highfield’s care.

The child was healthy when she left, prosecutors said.

When she returned, the child was vomiting uncontrollably, and D’Urso noticed numerous knuckle-sized bruises on the child’s abdomen, prosecutors said. The child died during the night.

D’Urso failed to seek medical treatment for the child and never ordered Highfield out of her house, prosecutors said.

The mother admitted she failed to protect her son because she was focused on her drug use, but is committed to overcoming her addiction and improving her life, Drake said.

“I have rarely seen a more remorseful defendant,” Drake said. “She expresses enormous remorse, and I believe the remorse is sincere.”

Doory had a simple message for the mother:

“Ms. D’Urso, don’t go back.”

lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com