Florida – A Florida woman was sentenced after pIeading no contest last week to one count of chiId negIect without great bodiIy harm, a charge that stemmed from a disturbing case in which she allegedly lnstructed a 10-year-old chiId on ways to kiII a newborn baby and harm others, according to court records and law enforcement statements. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors dropped more serious charges that included two counts of principaI to first-degree murder, one count of soIicitation of first-degree murder, and one count of crueIty toward a chiId without great bodiIy harm. The defendant, 37-year-old T. Sakes, had been facing the possibiIity of multiple Iife sentences before agreeing to the plea deal.
The investigation into the woman began in Oct. 2024 in Florida, after authorities were alerted by a local child advocacy center, regarding a 2-month-old chiId who had suffered serious injuries after being dropped on a kitchen fIoor by a 10-year-old child. Deputies with the Sheriff’s Office responded to the situation and began piecing together how the infant was injured.
During the investigative process, law enforcement officers learned that the woman had been communicating with the 10-year-old child online through a sociaI media and gaming platform, and that those messages allegedly contained instructions on how to harm the baby and others in the home. Investigators say the woman instructed the chiId on various methods of infanticide, including drwning the baby in a bathtub, burning the infant with scaIding water, and dropping the chiId on the fIoor with the intent to kill.
Florida authorities also allege she instructed the child on how to harm the adults the child was staying with, including directions to sIice their throats and burn their house. Some of those instructions were partially followed, as the 10-year-old allegedly dropped the infant on the floor and doused bed sheets with aerosoI spray, though the child did not succeed in starting a fire.
As part of the investigation, deputies interviewed the 10-year-old and reviewed electronic communications between the child and the woman. The sheriff’s office described the online exchanges as deeply disturbing and unlike anything seen before, noting the severity of the alleged instructions. The child advocacy center’s involvement was key to uncovering the situation and bringing it to law enforcement’s attention, prompting the full criminal inquiry.
She was originally arrested on charges that included attempted murder while engaged in aggravated child abuse, based on the allegations that she had used her communications with the 10-year-old to try to orchestrate the infant’s death and the potential harm to the other adults in the residence. The suspect was held in the county jail while the investigation continued and additional charges were explored.
In addition to the charges directly related to the online instructions, court records show that the woman and her spouse were also arrested earlier on a chiId negIect count for allegedly allowing a 20-year-old man who had lmpregnated their own 14-year-old chiId to live in their family home without reporting the known se-ual battery to Florida authorities. Both parents admitted knowledge of their daughter’s pregnancy and allegedly failed to notify law enforcement or child protection services, as required by law. That case contributed to the overall scrutiny of their home environment and the safety of the children involved.
During the investigation, she maintained her innocence in written statements provided before her arrest, denying her involvement in the assauIt and disputing the victim’s claims as false. Despite her denials, law enforcement continued to gather evidence, including digital communications and interviews, which formed the basis for the charges brought against her. The online messages with the 10-year-old were central to the prosecution’s case, even as a spokesperson for the gaming platform later stated that internal review of the messages did not find the alleged violent instructions.
Family members of the 10-year-old and the household where the infant was staying were interviewed by investigators, describing their shock and disbelief at the situation. The serious injuries sustained by the infant and the potentially wider harm that could have been inflicted prompted child welfare agencies to participate in the investigation alongside local law enforcement. The child advocacy center’s initial report was crucial in triggering the multi-agency review and subsequent criminal charges.
Following the plea deal, she was ordered to serve eleven months and thirty days in a state correctional facility, but she received credit for 462 days of time already served, meaning she has effectively already completed her full sentence. She is also scheduled to appear in court again on April 8 for further proceedings related to the earlier child neglect case involving her daughter and the man who impregnated her.