A Florida woman was sentenced to two decades in prison on Thursday after failing to intervene when her boyfriend allegedly killed one of their newborn twins and injured the other.
Hannah Renee Jones, 21, pleaded no contest in February to neglect causing great bodily harm in the death and injury of their infant twins at their Cocoa home in 2023.
“These babies came home from the hospital and spent their entire two-and-a-half months there in an abusive environment,” Assistant State Attorney Rebecca Price said during Jones’ sentencing hearing, according to a press release. “It’s only because one baby was found dead that morning that her sister lived.”
Jones’ boyfriend and the twins’ father, Quentin Smith, 25, is still scheduled to stand trial on charges of aggravated child abuse by willful torture. Jones told investigators that she witnessed Smith “squeeze, hit, and throw objects at the babies out of frustration, picking them up by their limbs.” Prosecutors said Smith admitted to “shaking, yanking, and biting the twins on multiple occasions.”
At the sentencing, Circuit Judge Charles Crawford told Jones that she “should never be in charge of any children ever again,” according to the prosecutor’s press release.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, cops were called to a home around 11 a.m. on Oct. 5, 2023, due to an unresponsive infant.
The child was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead. Photographs revealed that the infant had multiple circular bruises on his face, head, and body. The affidavit also noted bruises on the upper back and left rib area, as well as swelling on the left arm.
The surviving twin sustained visible injuries to her face and head. The affidavit also stated that a large bite imprint was found near her buttocks.
Both parents were brought to the Cocoa Police Department for interviews. Jones stated that both she and Smith awoke and took a shower. Following the shower, she told detectives she went to check on the babies and discovered one of them unresponsive and “on her stomach,” according to the affidavit.
Jones initially told detectives that the baby girls were “constantly banging their heads against the lining of the bassinet.” However, she later claimed that Smith “squeezed together” the children’s faces in an attempt to feed them.
She also claimed Smith “bites” the children and once picked up the deceased infant by the arm, which may have caused the swelling. According to the affidavit, Jones admitted to knowing about the injuries but never reported them to a doctor or law enforcement.
Smith told detectives that he woke up, fed the children, and placed them in the bassinet. He took a shower and went to get some rice after Jones’ phone fell into the water. Smith then overheard Jones say she needed assistance because one of the twins was unresponsive. They administered CPR to the victim until paramedics arrived. When investigators asked about the girl’s injuries, Smith admitted to biting the infant multiple times, which caused the bruises.
He claimed Jones asked him to stop biting both victims, but he continued to do so. He admitted to detectives that he had last bitten the infants about a week prior.
He also claimed that on the morning of September 29, 2023, he awoke frustrated and yanked the victim by the shoulder before placing her on the bed, according to the affidavit. He also admitted to shaking the baby “a few months ago” to keep her quiet.
“Mr. Smith stated that Ms. Jones, on multiple occasions the last two months, grabbed both victim 1 and victim 2 by the leg, upside down, in a careless and unsafe manner, which seemingly dangling the victims,” according to the petition.
Smith has a court hearing scheduled for June.
