Life sentence for Houston’s mother who beat a 4-month-old to death because her father did not want to be in a relationship

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office issued a news statement stating that the prosecution’s case at trial was that Bibbs killed her daughter “because the baby’s father no longer sought a relationship” with her. After a one-week trial, Bibbs was found guilty by a jury on one count of felony murder in her daughter’s death. District Attorney Kim Ogg stated in a statement that “our office stands up for all victims, but a baby is the most innocent of victims.” “A Harris County jury agreed that a life sentence was appropriate for this horrible murder,” the statement continued. Bibbs had previously been found guilty on one count of capital murder, but the appellate court reasoned that the jury had no right to use the felony murder standard in Bibbs’ initial case, leading to the overturning of that conviction. In accordance with court records, Houston Police Department officers responded to a call regarding the suspicious death of a child at Texas Children’s Hospital on April 16, 2016. According to the medical staff at the hospital, the newborn was admitted with many fractures of the ribs that were in varying stages of healing, as well as injuries to “various organ systems,” including a brain bleed and a lacerated liver. Several medical professionals came to the conclusion that the baby’s wounds were caused by physical abuse rather than a “fall from a car seat,” as Bibbs had initially stated. Bibbs eventually acknowledged to investigators in a taped interview that she had lied about her daughter sliding out of the car seat. According to the affidavit, Bibbs claimed that two days before her daughter died, she checked into a hotel and “began to not care about the child’s condition.” The document reads, “The defendant further alleged that anytime the kid began to cry, she lifted her up by the arms and dropped her on the bed, causing her to bounce off the bed and tumble into the hard floor.” Every time the infant started wailing, [Bibbs] started to “pop” the youngster in the face. She claimed to have done this two to three times. [Bibbs] claimed that she repeatedly hit the youngster in the chest and ribs until she stopped sobbing. [Bibbs] claimed that after the initial beating, she would continue to “pop” the child in the face, chest, and ribs every time the youngster cried. According to the paper, Bibbs didn’t dial 911 until the child’s respiration entirely ceased. According to court documents, investigators who spoke with Bibbs stated they thought she killed her daughter “out of revenge against the child’s father.” One of the case’s lead prosecutors, Assistant District Attorney Keaton Forcht, praised the verdict. Forcht stated that Bibbs “earned a life sentence for what she did to her child.” “She beat her repeatedly and appeared to care more about her daughter’s demise than her life,” said one witness.