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On July 13, 2023, 26-year-old Tiara Allen was apprehended on a felony count of reckless assault of a child and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child. WWNY reported that, as per state police, on July 7, 2023, Allen was caring for her boyfriend's 5-month-old son at their residence on Sand Road in Fowler, and her alleged mishandling of the child led to his death.
On November 17, 2023, a St. Lawrence County grand jury indicted Tiara Allen on three additional counts, including second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and first-degree assault.
Tiara Allen allegedly admitted her reckless handling of the child to authorities
The New York Post reported that in her initial statement to authorities, Tiara Allen reportedly admitted to being responsible for the injuries sustained by the 5-month-old, who was only identified as Conway. Tiara allegedly told the police:
"I took Conway out of the bassinet and put him on my bed. I went to the bathroom and when I came back Conway was fussy. I tried to settle him down and nothing was working. I picked up on Conway and took my anger out on him and I shouldn't have. I picked him up with both hands and shook him back and forth out of frustration and anger."
According to the report by The New York Post, after that, the accused started to change the infant's diaper. Her signed statement read:
"When I changed his diaper he had pooped and it went up his back. I roughly changed Conway's diaper by grabbing his legs and forcefully pushed up his legs to change him. I was frustrated and angry during this time."
The report by The New York Post mentioned that after a while, the infant became unresponsive, which is when Tiara dialed 911 and informed that the 5-month-old was bleeding from his nose. In her statement, Tiara said:
"I believe I caused Conway's injuries. I should have walked away from the situation and come back to him later, but it's hard when he's fussy."
WWNY reported that the child was rushed to Gouverneur Hospital and then transferred to Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse. He was diagnosed with anoxic brain injury and subdural hematomas and eventually succumbed to his injuries and passed away in August 2023.
Tiara Allen pleaded not guilty to the charges
WWNY reported that following her initial arrest in July 2023, Tiara Allen had been released from custody until the recent indictment on $10,000 bail. St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua said:
"At that time we could have gone back and rearrested on the higher charges but we felt that we would just wait for the grand jury presentment and let the grand jury decide what the appropriate charges were."
Tiara Allen pleaded not guilty to the new additional charges, with her cash bail set at $250,000. Her next court appearance, a pre-trial conference, is slated for January 8, 2024.
