Channel Yonko of Houston was found guilty of murdering Hannah Yonko and was automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday.
PREVIOUS REPORT: 17-month-old girl fell from 3rd floor balcony and had severe wounds, court documents say
On Oct. 23, 2024, the Galveston Police Department said they responded to a call of a baby found in the street, bleeding from a head wound and with stab wounds to her back. The 17-month-old girl was rushed to the hospital, where she later died. Authorities later identified the baby as Yonko's daughter.
According to the Galveston County District Attorney's Office, Yonko's trial, which lasted one week, saw testimony from a psychiatrist that she admitted to stabbing her daughter three times in the back, in addition to photos that showed bloody evidence from the hotel room, and surveillance videos showing how the baby was thrown from a hotel balcony.
Shortly after the incident, Yonko was indicted for capital murder.
Yonko's lawyers argued that she was not in her right mind and fought to have her considered legally insane, but prosecutors rebutted through video evidence, text messages, witness accounts, and expert testimony.
The DA's office said that immediately after the crime, Yonko tried to call for an Uber to flee the scene, which the State said was evidence that she was aware that what she did was wrong.
According to GCDAO, the jury deliberated less than an hour before finding Yonko guilty of capital murder, a conviction that results in a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
ABC13 previously reported that Yonko had run-ins with Child Protective Services in the past, but those did not involve 17-month-old Hannah.