A Kalamazoo babysitter convicted of killing a 15-month-old girl in her care was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday, more than three years after the toddler was found unresponsive in her home. Tiffany Briana Moore, 34, was sentenced on her felony murder conviction in the death of Jermany Coleman, closing out a case that stretched from October 2023 to a jury verdict and now a final sentence.
Moore received her sentence on Oct. 30, according to mlive.com, which reported that a jury had convicted her on Sept. 2 of felony murder, second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse. FOX 17 West Michigan News reported on the sentencing hearing and noted that Moore received sentences on all three convictions. A FOX 17 seed reference said Moore had been found guilty in connection with Coleman's October 2023 death, while mlive.com's reporting puts the jury verdict on Sept. 2, 2026.
Coleman was found unresponsive by her mother on Oct. 28, 2023, at their home on Michigamme Woods in Kalamazoo, according to WOOD TV. The toddler had been in Moore's care in the hours before she was found, the station reported, and she later died at the hospital from multiple blunt-force injuries, per mlive.com's account.
A Disputed Explanation and Damning Testimony
At trial, Coleman's mother testified that Moore handed her the baby wrapped in a blanket, the same account detailed in mlive.com's coverage of the proceedings. Moore told the mother that the baby had suffered an allergic reaction, the outlet reported, an explanation that did not hold up against the medical evidence presented to jurors.
A child-abuse pediatrician testified that Coleman suffered severe brain swelling, raising fears among her treating doctors. “The CT scan showed severe brain swelling to the point that we were very worried about the possibility of brain death,” the pediatrician said, according to Law&Crime.
Officials Point to Years of Work on the Case
Kalamazoo Public Safety officials said the guilty verdicts in September followed years of investigative effort and could offer the family some relief. “We hope today's outcome provides some measure of accountability and closure,” officials said, according to the same mlive.com report. WOOD TV's coverage of the conviction echoed that same sentiment from officials in the days after the verdict.
What Michigan Law Sets as Punishment
Under Michigan law, first-degree murder convictions carry a sentence of life imprisonment without eligibility for parole, subject to specified exceptions, according to the Michigan Legislature. Second-degree murder, by contrast, can be punished by life imprisonment or any term of years, at the discretion of the sentencing court, per the Michigan Legislature's statute on that offense.
Coleman's family had described the sentencing as a moment they had awaited for nearly three years, according to FOX 17 West Michigan News. A family member told the outlet that Jermany got justice, capping a case that began with a toddler's unexplained death and ended with a life sentence for the woman who had been watching her.
