NEWTON, N.J. (RNS) A woman who starved her four children while waiting for God to provide was sentenced Tuesday (March 30) to eight years in prison by a judge who labeled her a “passive, self-centered and narcissistic individual.”

Superior Court Judge N. Peter Conforti said Estelle Walker, 50, of New York City, must serve four years before becoming eligible for parole. She was given credit for the 460 days she already served in jail, meaning she will be eligible for parole in about 33 months.

Walker had told her children that God would provide for their needs, but Conforti told Walker that the Bible is filled with references to motherhood and how mothers should care for their children.

“The court has read the Bible, too. Mothers are told to love their children,” Conforti told Walker, whose attorney had argued she failed to provide food to her children — ages 8, 9, 11 and 13 at the time — because she was praying for divine intervention.

“It’s a special kind of love. … A child is a gift from God. Mothers must care for their children and meet their needs,” the judge said.

Walker, who at the time of her arrest was living in a church-provided cabin in New Jersey to escape an abusive relationship, did not speak during the sentencing.

In arguing for probation rather than jail time, defense attorney Ronald Nicola said Walker suffered from a “delusional disorder” that caused her to have an over reliance on God.

However, two weeks before Walker was convicted, Conforti found that while Walker was a devoutly religious woman, she understood the court proceedings and the charges against her and was eligible to stand trial.

Nicola also argued Tuesday that Walker’s husband, Wellington Walker, should accept some of the blame. Wellington Walker testified he made no effort to help his family after they left him.

When Walker refused to leave the cabin in May 2006 — claiming God wanted her to stay — the church began eviction proceedings and cut off financial support that ranged from $700 to $1,000 a month, most of which was for food.

Walker was convicted on Jan. 21 on four counts of child endangerment and failing to provide food to her children.

During the trial, three of Walker’s children testified their mother did not look for work or provide for them. At one point, they said, they went 11 days without food. The children have since recovered.

“God did provide. (Walker) possessed the talents that God provided to her,” Conforti said. “She was given the talents by the Creator, but for whatever reason she chose not to use them.”