Woman sentenced to 8 years for baby’s death

June 8, 2017 at 12:08a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Traniqua Floyd said just before she was sentenced to eight years in prison for the death of a baby in her care that she now realizes how important it is to provide good care for children – because she has been taken from hers.

Floyd, who has been jailed since the Dec. 12, 2013, death of 10-week-old Jaron Jones, told Judge Maureen Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday that she wants to return from prison as a good mother for her children. She also apologized to the parents of Jaron.

“Being without my children has shown me that Jaron Jones deserved to be protected. I failed,” she said.

Floyd pleaded guilty March 31 to a charge of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Jones, who was taken to Akron Childrens Hospital from a house in the 700 block of Pasadena Avenue where Jones was babysitting. The Summit County Coroner’s office ruled Jaron’s death a homicide, saying that he died as a result of massive head tramua.

Prosecutors were asking Judge Sweeney to sentence Floyd to 11 years in prison, the maximum for the charge. Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer McLaughlin showed the judge photos of Jaron’s injuries. McLaughlin said Floyd gave several versions of how Jaron died, including telling a fellow inmate at the Mahoning County jail that she punched the baby or that other children in the home at the home hurt the baby.

“She told numerous stories,” McLaughlin said.

Jaron’s mother, Jasmine Nickerson, said she was friends with Floyd for a long time.

“This is a hard day for me,” Nickerson said. “This is just horrible. She was my friend for about 14, 15 years. I still to this day do not know what happened to my son. I honestly don’t think 11 years is enough.”

Jaron’s father, Jaron Jones Sr., was also present but he did not speak to the judge.

Lou DeFabio, Floyd’s lawyer, asked for a sentence of less than eight years. He said his client called 911 and Jaron’s mother when he was injured and tried to help him. DeFabio said 911 tapes show how frantic and concerned Floyd was until police and paramedics arrived.

“I can tell you it’s eight minutes of hysteria,” DeFabio said of the call. “Traniqua is crying throughout the call. It’s heart-wrenching.”

DeFabio said his client has no prior criminal record and is remorseful. He also said she has mental-health issues and was once declared incompetent in the case and it took a year to restore her to competency. She hears voices, sometimes that of Jaron, DeFabio said, and was pregnant when she was in the seventh grade and has only an eighth-grade education.

Floyd gets credit for more than 1,200 days she has spent in jail awaiting the outcome of her case.