A Texas mother has been sentenced to decades behind bars after her 3-month-old son starved to death in a filthy hotel room filled with weapons, drugs, and cockroaches.
Skylynn Tuerk, 33, was sentenced on Thursday, Aug. 21, in Waco’s 54th State District Court after pleading guilty to murder, injury to a child, endangering a child, and possession of a controlled substance, according to KXXV, KWTX, and the Waco Tribune-Herald. Judge Susan Kelly handed down 40-year sentences for both the murder and injury to a child charges, plus two years each for child endangerment and drug possession. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Tuerk must serve at least 20 years before she’s eligible for parole. She was also credited for the 633 days she has already spent behind bars.
The sentencing comes after the November 2023 arrests of Tuerk and Charles Harris, the baby’s father, following the death of their infant son — identified in local reports as “Baby JJ” — at the New Road Inn in Waco. Responding officers found the baby unresponsive and severely malnourished. According to KWTX, the child appeared “starving and looking like a skeleton.”
Investigators discovered horrifying living conditions inside the hotel room: cockroaches crawling around, raw meat left out, and methamphetamine on-site, along with a drug scale and half a gram of the substance. Police also reported that there was no “real food” for the children — only juice boxes and fruit snacks. The couple’s then-3-year-old daughter was also found in the room, dangerously close to blades and swords, and was later placed in state custody. A family member told KXXV that the little girl has since been adopted.
After sentencing, Tuerk’s defense attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said his client was “devastated by the loss of her child” and that her family “continues to grieve while also supporting Skylynn during her incarceration.”
Tara Avants, a state attorney, called the case “horrific” and said prosecutors sought a severe sentence. “The horrific and irresponsible nature of this defendant’s behavior left us unwilling to agree to any lower punishment,” she told KXXV, noting that there is only a 10-year difference between a 40-year sentence and life in prison.
Harris, the baby’s father, is expected to face court in September in connection with the case.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: thedailycrime1
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://thedailycrime.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
