Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Leticia Diane McCormack, the adoptive mother charged in the 2022 death of 11-year-old Arabella McCormack in Spring Valley, according to City News Service.

The decision, announced in court Tuesday and reflected in court filings dating back to June, means a jury could be asked to decide whether McCormack should face death or life in prison without the possibility of parole if she is convicted of first-degree murder.

McCormack, 53, and her parents, Adella Tom, 74, and Stanley Tom, 79, face charges that include murder, torture and child abuse in connection with Arabella's death and alleged abuse involving her two younger sisters. City News Service reported that prosecutors will try the Toms separately and seek a maximum sentence of life without parole for them.

The defendants were arrested in 2022 after law enforcement responded to the home and found Arabella unresponsive. Prosecutors have alleged severe abuse and neglect, while the criminal cases remain pending. Both trials are expected to begin next year.

The case has drawn East County attention for years because it began in Spring Valley and later led to more than $31 million in civil settlements involving public agencies and other entities accused of failing to prevent or intervene in the abuse, according to City News Service.