Mom who stabbed toddler, threw her off balcony gets life in prison for capital murder

GALVESTON, Texas (TCN) -- A mother found guilty of capital murder for the death of her toddler daughter in 2024 has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

On Oct. 23, 2024, police were called about a baby being found in the street, Click2Houston reports. Responding officers found a 17-month-old girl bleeding from a head wound. She had also been stabbed in the back. The child was transported by ambulance to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police learned the child had been thrown off a balcony at a condominium, but they were unable to find the child’s parent or caretaker. 

Law & Crime reports officers found Channel Yonko, 31, about half a mile away. She reportedly said she was worried her daughter was sick, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the outlet. When she was taken into custody, she initially refused to give officers her name.

Later, police found a room key, knife, toys, diapers, and snacks inside a trash can outside the condo where Yonko, her daughter Hannah Yonko, her fiancé, and her sister had been staying, according to Law & Crime.

Yonko was indicted in January on a charge of capital murder, Houston Public Media reports. She was found competent to stand trial after several psychiatric evaluations.

Yonko’s trial began on March 2, according to Click2Houston. Jurors heard testimony from a psychiatrist that Yonko admitted to stabbing her daughter three times. They also saw surveillance footage from the condo where Yonko had booked a room with her daughter, fiancé, and sister. The footage showed Yonko remove Hannah Yonko from her stroller, swaddle her in two blankets, and drop her over the side of the balcony. Another video featured footage from a different angle, showing the toddler as she fell four stories to the ground below. 

According to the Galveston County Daily News, Yonko’s defense attorney Margaret Hindman told jurors Yonko was not sane and had acted in fear at the time of Hannah Yonko’s death. Hindman said Yonko believed her child was possessed by demons and acted impulsively when she dropped the child off of the balcony.

According to Click2Houston, Yonko called an Uber minutes after the incident, which showed Yonko was aware of what she had done and knew what she did was wrong. 

Jurors deliberated for under an hour and found Yonko guilty of capital murder on March 6, according to the Galveston County Daily News. People reports that because the victim was under 10 years old, Yonko received an automatic sentence of life without parole because prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty.

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