Jennifer Hancock, the former Verona day care provider convicted of causing the death of a child in her care, was sentenced Thursday to 13 years in prison at an emotional hearing in a packed courtroom.

Dane County Circuit Judge David Flanagan said he found it “horrifying” to imagine what 4-month-old Lincoln Wilber experienced on Sept. 7, 2007, when he suffered injuries that led to his death. Those injuries included bleeding on his brain, a skull fracture and a leg fracture.

Hancock, 38, who maintains she is innocent, was found guilty by a jury on April 8 of first-degree reckless homicide for Lincoln’s death. What happened to Lincoln remains a mystery, but Hancock was the only adult home when he sustained the injuries, which experts attributed to child abuse.

“I don’t know why Lincoln died,” Hancock said in court to Lincoln’s parents, Erin and Benjy Wilber. “I wish I could provide the answer.”

Hancock indicated she will appeal. Her prison sentence will be followed by seven years of extended supervision.

Flanagan called the evidence against Hancock “extremely compelling” and described testimony by the state’s experts as “possibly the most persuasive evidence on a medical issue I have ever seen.”

Hancock called 911 on Sept. 7, 2007, to report that Lincoln was unresponsive. He was taken to UW Children’s Hospital, where he remained until Sept. 11, when his parents, learning he would never recover, decided to take him off life support.

“Because of what Jennifer did to Lincoln, we had to decide when to take out the very tubes that were breathing life into our son and watch him take his last breath,” said Erin Wilber, her voice wavering with emotion. “I think every day, ‘What if he was going to pull through?’ ”

Lincoln’s grandmother, Deb Wittenmeyer, said her family will never get over the loss. Lincoln was buried months later, after his body was released by the coroner’s office.

“The day of Lincoln’s first Christmas he was laid to rest,” she said. “The week of Lincoln’s first birthday, he received a headstone. This is just so wrong.”

Benjy Wilber said Hancock should be denied the chance to see her own two children grow up, just as he will be deprived of seeing Lincoln grow up.

“I hope each night when the defendant is sitting in prison and trying to sleep at night she’s haunted by what she did to Lincoln,” he said. “I hope when she’s sleeping and dreaming, she sees Lincoln’s face staring back at her, his eyes little slits like she described them. Most importantly, I hope her head is filled with Lincoln’s crying every day and night for the rest of her life.”

Friends and family of Hancock steadfastly maintain she is innocent. Several said she is a warm, caring person who loves children and whose absence would be felt most acutely by her children.

“Jennifer is not a violent person,” said Denise McKinley, a friend and former co-worker who left one of her children in Hancock’s care in the past.

“I believe in Jennifer and I believe in her innocence,” said Janet Fritz, another friend.