A Douglas County mother pleads guilty to beating her three-year old--then begs the judge for mercy!

24-year old Susie Elie says her son disrepected her by waking up and crying.  However, she insists she didn't mean to hurt her son when she took him to a forest, then beat, kicked and whipped him with a tree limb.

Elie said her Haitian upbringing instilled in her the importance of strong discipline, and asked the judge to spare her the maximum 51-year sentence.

"Please your honor, don't put me away for a long time," the woman pleaded in court, "because this was not my intentions.  Please, I'm begging you!"

But the judge said he couldn't ignore dramatic photos of the child's injuries and sentenced Elie 30 years.  She'll serve 20.

The boy is now in foster care.  Prosecutors said he might have died if a passerby hadn't stepped in.