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Stephens said after the hearing that Hilt probably will serve 21 to 22 years of the 25-year term, with the state taking into account the time she has already spent in custody. On that timetable, Hilt will be in her mid-50s when she leaves prison.

In the immediate aftermath of Nina Hilt's death last year, Russian legislators called for a freeze on Americans' adoptions of orphans, and such transactions have significantly slowed.

The Russian Education Ministry, which oversees adoptions in the vast country, announced Tuesday that only foreign and domestic companies accredited by the government will be allowed to arrange legal adoptions.

The Hilts did not use an agency when they adopted Nataliya in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev in 2001, but they employed a Dallas-based agency, Adoptions International Inc., in 2004 to help adopt Nina in the Siberian city of Irkutsk.

That company is not accredited by the Russian government, a company employee said Thursday.

Kathy Friend, an American trying to adopt a child in Irkutsk, said the Hilt case has delayed many adoptions.

Hopes and dreams

"Not only did Peggy Sue Hilt kill her daughter, but she has killed the hopes and dreams of many children here in Irkutsk to be with their American-forever families," Friend said in an e-mail message.

Lee Allen, a spokesman for the National Council for Adoption in Washington, said more than 60,000 Russian children have been adopted by Americans. He cited Russian government figures showing that 12 are known to have been killed by their adoptive parents.

"It is a very small risk, but clearly one is too many," Allen said.

Washington bureau reporter Brady Averill and N&O reporter Jennifer Brevorka contributed to this report.

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