The admission of guilt and pledge to improve herself convinced U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson, who denied the federal prosecutor's office request that Barrington, previously known as Jessica Cunnington, spend 28 years behind bars, instead handing down a sentence of 20 years. After a frequently contentious back-and-forth with Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Herzog dealing with other child sexual abuse cases brought in the district, Peterson said she saw "no value" in imprisoning Barrington for another eight years based on her motivation to seek treatment while in jail since January 2019.