A mother has been convicted of murdering her 17-month-old daughter by stabbing her and throwing her from a third-floor hotel balcony in Galveston, Texas. Channel Yonko was found guilty on Friday in the death of Hannah Yonko, who was discovered on the pavement outside the Beachfront Palms Hotel in October 2024.
Police responded to calls of an abandoned child at around 9:45am and found the toddler alive but bleeding. She was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead shortly after. An autopsy revealed she had suffered three puncture wounds in addition to injuries from the fall.
Hotel surveillance footage captured the moment Hannah fell from the balcony. Police also recovered a bag from a hotel bin containing a 'skinning' knife, toys, and children's snacks. Yonko was arrested and later evaluated for mental competency, but claims of insanity were rejected by the court.
Psychiatric specialist Edward Gripon determined Yonko was able to stand trial after she provided a detailed account of her time in Galveston leading up to the child's death. She denied a history of drug or alcohol use but acknowledged a history of head trauma and forgetfulness.
State prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, and under Texas law, Yonko received an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole because the victim was under 10 years old. Juror Jeanie Tinkle said, 'It's such a sad case... We all wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but we couldn't get there.'
