Mother who allegedly killed her 4-year-old faces the death penalty if convicted, Ohio prosecutor says

By Melissa Alonso, Joe Sutton and Travis Caldwell, CNN

(CNN) — A 25-year-old woman in Ohio who has been charged with murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter will face the death penalty if convicted, prosecutors said.

Tianna Robinson allegedly beat and strangled her daughter, Nahla Miller, until her heart stopped, according to a statement on Monday from Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters.

Robinson was arrested on April 13 and is being held in a Hamilton County jail on a $2 million bond, according to jail records. CNN has reached out to Robinson’s attorney for comment but has not yet heard back.

“Nahla was transported to [the] Children’s Hospital where she remained until she was removed from life support on April 21,” Deters’ statement said.

“Investigators believe Nahla had been abused for months,” the prosecutor’s statement said. “The Coroner’s Office has ruled Nahla’s death a homicide. The cause of death was determined to be strangulation and blunt force trauma, resulting in significant internal injuries.”

Nahla had “a broken left arm, bruising to the lower lungs, adrenal glands, diaphragm, liver, stomach, colon, pancreas and mouth,” as well as several other significant injuries, Deters said at a Monday news conference.

“This year has been especially difficult – with what seems like case after case of horrific acts perpetrated against children. But rest assured we will not stop until justice has been served for Nahla Miller and her family,” Deters said in the statement.

Robinson has been charged with one count of “aggravated murder with death penalty specification,” two counts of murder, one count of felonious assault, and one count of endangering children, said the statement.

Robinson pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday, according to CNN affiliate WKRC.

If Robinson is convicted and sentenced to death, it is not clear how the state will administer the punishment. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine halted executions in 2019 after a judge compared the state’s method of lethal injection to “waterboarding, suffocation and chemical fire,” according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Ohio has not executed a death row inmate since 2018.

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