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Left: Iesha Harris (Detroit Police Dept.). Right: Harmoni Henderson (GoFundMe).
A 31-year-old pistillate successful Michigan whitethorn walk the remainder of her beingness down bars aft admitting to killing her friend’s 3-year-old daughter, viciously beating the kid to death portion babysitting past twelvemonth aft the unfortunate threw up connected herself.
Appearing successful Wayne County’s 3rd Judicial Circuit Court connected Monday, Iesha Harris formally pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of second-degree execution successful the 2024 slaying of young Harmoni Henderson, The Oakland Press reported.
Harris had initially been charged with 1 number of felony execution and 1 number of first-degree kid abuse. In speech for her pleading to the lesser execution charge, the territory attorney’s bureau dismissed some remaining charges.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, officers with the Detroit Police Department astatine astir 1:30 p.m. connected Sunday, March 17, 2024, responded to a residence successful the 15700 artifact of Southfield Freeway, which is astir 12 miles southwest of Detroit. Prosecutors said that Harris was a longtime person of Harmoni’s parent and had been babysitting the kid erstwhile the unfortunate suffered her fatal injuries.
Harmoni was privately transported to a section infirmary for treatment, but succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead. Authorities accidental that the origin of Harmoni’s decease was “blunt unit trauma caused by the defendant.”
Harris was formally charged and arrested connected Wednesday, March 20, 2025.
Capt. Laurie Carter, the caput of the Detroit Police Special Victims Unit, provided immoderate further details astir the probe into Harmoni’s decease successful an interview with Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV.
Carter was 1 of the officers who responded to the infirmary wherever Harmoni’s parent and Harris had taken the victim.
“When I arrived astatine the hospital, the kid had already been conveyed by the parent and besides the friend,” Carter told the presumption soon aft the tragic incident. “The kid was deceased erstwhile I arrived.”
Carter added that the details of Harmoni’s decease near her “very disturbed.”
“Nothing similar this should ever hap to a child,” she said.
Harmoni’s parent told WDIV that Harris “slammed” the toddler’s caput into a bathtub, yet sidesplitting her.
“She was having a hard time. My babe is autistic, nonverbal,” the parent told the station. “I deliberation she got frustrated with her, positive her ain daughter, and she slammed my baby’s caput against the tub.”
Harmoni’s parent said that anterior to the convulsive outburst, she trusted Harris “wholeheartedly.”
Authorities reportedly told WDIV that Harris was watching Harmoni for the nighttime and astatine immoderate constituent locked the toddler successful a country with her ain 1-year-old kid for astir 3 hours portion she smoked marijuana. When she returned to the room, she allegedly recovered that Harmoni had thrown up connected herself and became irate.
“Ms. Harris allegedly admitted to constabulary she poured scalding h2o connected apical of the 3-year-old and slammed her caput against the broadside of the bathtub,” Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Douglas told WDIV.
The scalding h2o was allegedly poured connected Harmoni’s caput and face, Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK reported. The presumption besides reported that erstwhile Harmoni’s parent called Harris to cheque successful connected her daughter, Harris told her that the kid had fallen down the stairs and bumped her head, but was different fine. The pursuing morning, Harmoni’s parent reportedly came to prime her up and recovered the kid successful furniture unresponsive.
“She was already dormant from the infinitesimal that I got there,” the parent told WJBK. “She was gone.”
Harris is presently scheduled to look earlier Circuit Judge Kelly Ramsey connected May 29, for her sentencing hearing. She faces a maximum punishment of beingness successful a Michigan authorities prison.
The Wayne County District Attorney’s Office did not instantly respond to an enquiry from Law&Crime.
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