Tears ran down Amanda Reyer’s face on Tuesday as witnesses described the injuries to her children after they were placed in scalding tub water in June 2015.

Reyer and her boyfriend, Derrick Lynn Defoe, are accused of intentionally scalding two of her children in the tub of their Limestone County home June 14, 2015.

In July, Reyer had entered a blind guilty plea to two counts of aggravated child abuse causing serious injury. (A blind plea means she is not guaranteed a particular sentence and that a judge will decide.) Her sentencing hearing is underway today in Limestone County Circuit Court. On Tuesday morning, District Attorney Brian Jones called on expert testimony to show how severe the injuries were.

Dr. Melissa Peters with Children’s of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham testified markings on Reyer’s 2-year-old daughter were consistent with being forcibly immersed in water at temperatures of 140-150 degrees. At that heat, Peters said, the water could have caused burns within seconds.

Peters said the toddler was dipped more than once and left with burns on more than 70 percent of her body. The 2-year-old was first sent to Children’s of Alabama, where Peters evaluated her and took photos that were shown to the court, before being transported to Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Ann Chandler, who worked at the Limestone County Department of Human Resources in 2015, said she was one of several officials who visited the toddler in Cincinnati. There, the 2-year-old underwent months of surgeries, physical therapy and more treatment before being discharged in September, about two months after being burned.

Chandler testified it was her understanding that due in part to the amount of skin grafting needed, the girl would have to keep going back to Shriners for additional treatment and checkups at least until she was an adult.

Chandler and Peters also testified to the condition of the girl’s brother. Peters testified that she had been told by someone with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office that the boyfriend had been the one to place Reyer’s 5-year-old son in the hot water.

However, she said, the 5-year-old’s burns from the water were primarily on his lower legs. She testified the water was hot enough to cause steam burns on the 5-year-old’s chest and splash burns on his buttocks and other areas.

The 5-year-old was treated at Children’s of Alabama, where Limestone County DHR workers were also able to interview and evaluate him.

The children also showed other indicators of child abuse, Peters said, from bruising on the 2-year-old’s ears to closely cropped hair that was only “a few millimeters long” on both children.

Limestone County Circuit Judge Robert Baker, who is presiding over the case, called for a lunch recess around 12:15 p.m. Court was set to resume at 1:30 p.m.

Check back here later today for updates on this sentencing hearing.