DETROIT, MICHIGAN — A 31-year-old woman could spend the rest of her life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the 2024 death of a 3-year-old girl she was babysitting.
Iesha Harris, of Detroit, admitted to viciously beating young Harmoni Henderson, a toddler with autism, after the child threw up on herself. The tragedy happened while Harris was watching the girl overnight for a family friend.
Babysitter Pleads Guilty to Murder
Harris appeared in Wayne County’s 3rd Judicial Circuit Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, according to The Oakland Press.
She was originally charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse, but prosecutors dropped those charges as part of a plea deal.
Harris is now facing a maximum sentence of life in prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 29, where Circuit Judge Kelly Ramsey will decide her punishment.
Details of the Deadly Night
The Detroit Police Department responded to a home on the 15700 block of Southfield Freeway on March 17, 2024. Harmoni was already being taken to the hospital by her mother and Harris, but sadly, doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.
Investigators determined that Harmoni died from blunt force trauma to the head. Prosecutors say Harris was the one who caused those fatal injuries.
According to reports, Harris locked Harmoni and her own 1-year-old child in a room for three hours while she smoked marijuana. When she returned and found that Harmoni had vomited on herself, she became furious.
Prosecutors: Child Was Scalded and Slammed
During the investigation, Harris allegedly told police that she poured scalding water on Harmoni’s head and face, and slammed the child’s head against the bathtub, prosecutors said.
“Nothing like this should ever happen to a child,” said Capt. Laurie Carter, head of the Detroit Police Special Victims Unit, who responded to the case. “The details were very disturbing.”
Harmoni’s mother also spoke publicly, saying she once trusted Harris “wholeheartedly”. She believes Harris became overwhelmed and lashed out in anger.
“She was having a hard time. My baby is autistic and nonverbal,” the mother told WDIV. “I think she got frustrated and she slammed my baby’s head against the tub.”
False Claims and Cover-Up Attempt
Authorities say Harris told Harmoni’s mother that the child had simply fallen down the stairs, but was okay. When the mother returned the next morning, she found Harmoni unresponsive in bed.
“She was already dead from the moment I got there,” the grieving mother told WJBK.
Harris was arrested and formally charged on March 20, 2024, three days after the fatal assault.
