An Aurora woman has been convicted of child abuse for sleeping in the same bed with her infant son and her boyfriend, while drunk and high.
Tierra Collins, 29, will be sentenced on the misdemeanor count of child abuse on March 9.
The charges stem from the death of Collins’ 3-month-old son, Nazairean Newton, on June 29, 2016.
Investigators learned Collins and her boyfriend, Gregory Newton, lost their 6-month-old son Azyian Newton, in July 2014, in a nearly identical co-sleeping incident.
Judge John Scipione allowed evidence of the first death to be used in the trial.
“Parenting is one the most important responsibilities you’ll ever have. It requires you to make sacrifices, requires you change your behavior, and requires you to put someone other than yourself first,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Amy Ferrin, who prosecuted the case. “Sadly, Tierra Collins was unwilling to do these things, and as a result she put her son’s life at risk.”
“There are few cases as challenging as the death of a baby in the presumed safety of a parent’s bed. But standing up for the voiceless and the most vulnerable amongst us is our mission,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Getting drunk and high in someone’s home may be a reality for some adults, but when that conduct puts at risk a baby, it is a crime. The right and ability to have children comes with the obligation to protect them from harm. Here, Collins put her interest in drugs and alcohol above her duty to her baby.”
Collins faces trial in the death of Azyian on May 30; the father of both children, Newton, is scheduled for trial on Feb. 28.
