A 31-year-old woman from Michigan may spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting to killing her friend’s 3-year-old daughter by viciously beating her to death while babysitting last year after the victim threw up on herself.
Iesha Harris appeared in Wayne County’s 3rd Judicial Circuit Court on Monday and formally pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in the 2024 death of Harmoni Henderson, according to The Oakland Press.
Harris was initially charged with one count of felony murder and one count of first-degree child abuse. In exchange for her plea to the lesser murder charge, the district attorney’s office dropped both remaining charges.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, officers from the Detroit Police Department responded to a residence in the 15700 block of Southfield Freeway, approximately 12 miles southwest of Detroit, around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 17, 2024.
According to prosecutors, Harris was a longtime friend of Harmoni’s mother and was babysitting the child when the victim died.
Harmoni was privately transported to a local hospital for treatment, but her injuries proved fatal and she was declared dead. According to authorities, Harmoni died from “blunt force trauma caused by the defendant.”
Harris was formally charged and arrested on Wednesday, March 20, 2025.
In an interview with Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV, Capt. Laurie Carter, the head of the Detroit Police Special Victims Unit, revealed new details about the investigation into Harmoni’s death.
Carter was one of the officers dispatched to the hospital where Harmoni’s mother and Harris had transported the victim.
“When I arrived at the hospital, the child had already been conveyed by the mother and also the friend,” Carter told the station shortly after the tragic incident. “The child was deceased when I arrived.”
Carter also stated that the details of Harmoni’s death left her “very disturbed.”
“Nothing like this should ever happen to a child,” she told me.
Harmoni’s mother told WDIV that Harris “slammed” the toddler’s head into a bathtub, which killed her.
“She was having a difficult time. “My baby is autistic and nonverbal,” the mother told the station. “I think she got frustrated with her, plus her own daughter, and she slammed my baby’s head against the tub.”
Harmoni’s mother stated that prior to Harris’ violent outburst, she trusted him “wholeheartedly.”
According to WDIV, Harris was watching Harmoni for the night and eventually locked the toddler in a room with her own one-year-old child for about three hours while smoking marijuana.
When she returned to the room, she allegedly discovered Harmoni had thrown up on herself and was furious.
“Ms. Harris allegedly admitted to police that she poured scalding water on top of the 3-year-old and slammed her head against the side of the bathtub,” Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Douglas told WDIV.
According to Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK, scalding water was poured over Harmoni’s head and face.
The station also reported that when Harmoni’s mother called Harris to check on her daughter, Harris informed her that the child had fallen down the stairs and bumped her head, but was otherwise fine.
Harmoni’s mother reportedly arrived to pick her up the next morning and discovered her in bed, unresponsive.
“She was already dead when I got there,” the mother told WJBK. “She was gone.”
Harris is scheduled to appear before Circuit Judge Kelly Ramsey on May 29 for her sentencing hearing. She faces a maximum sentence of life in a Michigan state prison.
