In a Fort Worth courtroom on Friday, a 17-year-old girl was sentenced to 15 years behind bars by a jury for the murder of her newborn baby. The incident occurred on September 9, 2021, when the teen gave birth to a baby girl in the bathroom of her family's Fort Worth home.
Paramedics were called, and both the girl and her baby were rushed to the hospital. Tragically, the baby, named Dayana, had a skull fracture and was hemorrhaging by the time medical assistance arrived. Despite efforts, Dayana lived for approximately six hours before being pronounced dead.
During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Lee Sorrells revealed that the only individuals who provided comfort to the newborn were Samantha Sandoval from MedStar and the nurses at JPS Hospital. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death as a homicide resulting from blunt force injuries to the head.
The juvenile mother, whose identity is being withheld due to her age, was charged with the capital murder of a person under 10 years old. A review of her cell phone uncovered chat messages between her and the baby's father discussing their desire to avoid parenthood. The conversations included disturbing suggestions such as taking abortion pills or punching the teen mother in the stomach to terminate the pregnancy. In one of the messages, the girl said she could wrap the baby "in a towel and hit it."
The teen admitted she killed her baby and asked a jury to determine her sentence.
After the murder of Baby Dayana, the teen gave birth to another child which was removed from her custody by Child Protective Services.
Prosecutors Sorrells and Morris sought to have the teen certified as an adult, but 323rd District Judge Kim denied the request, keeping her within the juvenile court system.
The teen will now be sent to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Before her 19th birthday, Judge Kim will determine whether she should be transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to serve the remaining sentence.
The Fort Worth Police Department conducted the investigation.
