Woman, who betrayed her longtime friend’s trust and beat her 3-year-old daughter to death just because she got frustrated when the girl threw up on herself, was sentenced
Michigan – In a harrowing case in Michigan, a 31-year-old woman, identified as I. Harris, received a long prison sentence in connection with the death of her friend’s nonverbal 3-year-old daughter, whom she beat to death just because she got frustrated when the toddler threw up on herself.
Harris pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this month in connection with the 2024 death of 3-year-old Harmoni H., a nonverbal autistic child who was left in Harris’s care by her mother. Harris, a longtime friend of Harmoni’s mom, admitted to violently assaulting the child during what was supposed to be a routine night of babysitting. The plea deal led to the dismissal of her initial charges of felony murder and first-degree child abuse.
The tragic series of events began on March 17, 2024, when Harmoni’s mother left her in the care of Harris, someone she once trusted “wholeheartedly.” According to prosecutors, at some point that evening, Harris grew frustrated when Harmoni vomited on herself. Instead of caring for the toddler, Harris responded with unimaginable cruelty. “Ms. Harris allegedly admitted to police she poured scalding water on top of the 3-year-old and slammed her head against the side of the bathtub,” said Assistant Prosecutor J. Douglas.
The hot water was reportedly poured over Harmoni’s head and face, causing additional trauma beyond the head injury. Harris allegedly locked the toddler in a room with her own 1-year-old child for nearly three hours while she smoked marijuana. When she returned and found Harmoni had vomited, she flew into a rage.
According to Harmoni’s mother, Harris later confessed that she slammed the child’s head into the bathtub, delivering the fatal blow. “She was having a hard time. My baby is autistic, nonverbal. I think she got frustrated with her, plus her own daughter, and she slammed my baby’s head against the tub,” the heartbroken mother told local media sources. When Harmoni’s mother called to check in during the night, Harris reportedly told her that the child had fallen down the stairs and bumped her head, but was otherwise fine. The next morning, when the mother arrived to pick up her daughter, she found Harmoni unresponsive in bed. “She was already dead from the moment that I got there,” the mother said. “She was gone.”
Harmoni was privately transported to a nearby hospital, but it was too late. She was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, and the cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma. Police arrested Harris on March 20, 2025, following an investigation. Captain L. Carter, who leads the department’s Special Victims Unit, described the case as one of the most disturbing she had encountered. “Nothing like this should ever happen to a child,” Carter said. “The child was deceased when I arrived. Very disturbing details.”
Harmoni’s death has left her family devastated, not just by the loss, but by who was responsible. Her mother told reporters she never imagined Harris — someone she’d known for years — would be capable of such violence. “I trusted her with everything,” she said. Harris’s plea to second-degree murder spared her a trial but ensured a lengthy prison term. She was sentenced to serve 28 to 50 years behind bars for second-degree murder.
