Houston mom beat infant to death over failed relationship, DA's office says

HOUSTON, Texas -- A Houston mother was sentenced to life in prison for beating her infant daughter to death, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

Tradezsha Trenay Bibbs, 29, was sentenced Monday after being convicted of felony murder for the death of 4-month-old Brielle Robinson on April 16, 2016. The case was investigated by the Houston Police Department.

Bibbs had previously been convicted of capital murder, but that verdict was reversed and Bibbs was retried.

In 2016, authorities were called to the Red Carpet Inn on the Gulf Freeway, where they found Bibbs in a room with Brielle. According to court documents filed at the time, Bibbs told officials she heard her daughter crying and picked her up by the arms and dropped her on the bed, causing her to fall to the floor. Bibbs then allegedly continuously struck her daughter in the face, chest, ribs and legs until the child stopped crying.

Brielle was later transported to Texas Children's Hospital where doctors determined she had suffered multiple fractures and severe head trauma.

According to court documents, Bibbs originally told authorities that Brielle had fallen from her car seat to the concrete, but later admitted making up that story. She told police that after checking into the motel with the infant, a few hours later she started not to care about the child's well-being, and repeatedly dropped her on the mattress and "popped" her in the face. Bibbs told police she punched the baby in the ribs and chest repeatedly until she stopped crying, but called 911 once the baby stopped breathing.

Assistant District Attorney Keaton Forcht said Bibbs killed her daughter because the baby's father no longer wanted a relationship with the mother.

During the week-long trial, jurors heard evidence that emergency-room doctors said Bibbs did not seem interested in the baby's medical care or the consequences for the fatal head injury she inflicted.

"Bibbs deserved a life sentence for what she did to her child," Forcht said. "She beat her countless times and seemed to care about as much about the death of her daughter as she did about the life of her daughter."

"Our office stands up for all victims, but a baby is the most innocent of victims," Ogg said. "We believed that a life sentence was appropriate for this brutal murder and a Harris County jury agreed."