Woman gets 70 years for death of Mishawaka toddler

A woman has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for her role in the death of a 19-month-old Mishawaka baby in August of 2018.

Tearra Montgomery was convicted in a bench trial on Feb. 18 on two counts of Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent and one count of Level 2 felony battery for the death of Zyon Harris.

Montgomery was sentenced Monday to 35 years for each count of neglect. The battery conviction was merged with the neglect counts at sentencing.

Zyon suffered a skull fracture to the right side of his head and was found unresponsive in the early morning hours of Aug. 11, 2018, at Hickory Village Apartments. He was taken to the hospital and put on life support but later died.

Zyon had been left in the care of Montgomery, who was his mother's live-in girlfriend.

The judge ruled that a doctor's testimony presented in court supports the "conclusion that Zyon sustained the skull fracture first, then was suffocated." Montgomery reportedly admitted to an officer that "she held Zyon's face into a robe in order to get him to stop crying."

A doctor further told the court that Zyon's skull fracture would not have been fatal if it had been treated promptly and may not even have required surgery, but Montgomery did not seek medical attention for the boy.