A Tooele mom who admitted to killing her 14-month-old adopted child was ordered Friday to complete a 60-day psychological diagnostic before being sentenced in 3rd District Court.

Kimberly Emelyantsev, 34, made a 911 call on March 6 to report that her son Nikolai — a child with Down syndrome whom she had recently adopted from Russia — was experiencing breathing problems. Tooele City police officers who responded to the scene noted discoloration and bruising to the child’s face. The child was taken to Mountain West Medical Center and then transported to Primary Children’s Medical Center, where he later died.

Emelyantsev originally told police the child had fallen off a chair in the family’s living room when she had left the room for a few minutes to change another child’s diaper. She was arrested March 10 after physicians at Primary Children’s Medical Center advised police that Nikolai had sustained injuries that were a result of blunt-force trauma to the head, and could not have been caused by a fall as described by Emelyantsev.

Emelyantsev was originally charged with first-degree murder, but pled guilty on June 20 to a lesser charge of second-degree felony child abuse homicide as part of a plea deal.

Prior to her plea, Emelyantsev told Judge Mark Kouris that Nikolai hadn’t fallen, but instead that she had dropped him. Deputy County Attorney Gary Searle said Emelyantsev had dropped the child more than once and in a manner that wasn’t deemed an accident.

Additional child abuse charges against Emelyantsev and her husband, Fyodor, in connection with the suspected abuse of another of the couple’s children — a 4-year-old son with Down syndrome, also adopted from Russia — were dismissed due to insufficient evidence at the June hearing.

Kouris said he had been approached by a few family members wishing to speak on behalf of the deceased child at Emelyantsev’s sentencing, but said all requests must be submitted in writing to the Tooele County witness/victim coordinator, detailing what the individual will say at the hearing.

Tooele County Attorney Doug Hogan said diagnostics are important tools because they help determine whether they are capable of benefiting from treatment. Then based on the treatment recommended, a judge can determine where the best place is to receive that treatment.

“It’s an additional tool for the judge to get a sense on whether this person needs to be incarcerated or can be put in the county jail,” Hogan added.

Emelyantsev’s diagnostic will take place at the Utah State Prison. She could face one to 15 years in prison when she appears for sentencing on Oct. 10.

Jamie Belnap: jamieb@tooeletranscript.com