Mother pleads guilty to throwing children off bridge

PORTLAND, Ore. - A woman accused of throwing her children off the Sellwood bridge changed her plea to guilty Tuesday.

Amanda Jo Stott-Smith pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. A Multnomah County judge accepted her plea and set her sentencing for April 22.

Under the agreement Stott-Smith will get life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 years.

The body of her four-year-old son, Eldon, was found in the Willamette River in May of 2009, and the medical examiner determined he had died from drowning. His older sister was found alive near her brother’s body. She had survived the 75-foot plunge and more than 30 minutes in the Willamette River.

According to court documents, Stott-Smith had called the children’s father, Jason Smith. Police found her in a parking garage in downtown Portland where they said she was trying to commit suicide.

In that phone call Jason Smith said his wife told him she believed she was having an affair with a family friend. He said he pressed his wife about the well-being of their children but got no response from her.

Jason Smith had been granted custody of the children the month before.

Jason Smith was in court Tuesday but said he would have no comment until after Amanda's sentencing. Amanda did not comment either.