PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia babysitter who admitted to killing a toddler and dumping his body in a pile of trash bags was sentenced Thursday to 12 to 30 years in prison.
King Hill, 2, went missing a year and a half ago with an entire city looking for him, but his body was never found.
Tianna Parks, who had pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in September, clasped a handful of tissues, dabbing her eyes and sometimes sobbing as she listened to her attorney and family describe her as a kind, creative and loving sister and the primary caretaker to King Hill – showing videos of Parks playfully chasing Hill, taking pictures and cuddling the toddler.
Parks’ friend, Hill’s stepfather, asked her to care for the child as his mother was overwhelmed while also caring for their special needs daughter.
When Hill went missing in July 2021, Parks told police she dropped the toddler off to the mother, but prosecutors went through the lengthy evidence showing how Parks was trying to cover her tracks.
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They showed a search on her phone about “how to treat skull fractures” and “what do raccoon eyes mean,” a photo of Hill slumped over his little potty, and a surveillance picture showing the trash bag where they believed the child was dumped.
Parks told investigators she was helping Hill with potty training when he had an accident. She told police she lost her temper and shook Hill, threw him, put him in the bath unsupervised while she went out to smoke drugs, and then couldn’t revive him.
Prosecutors pointed out she never got help or called anyone, but instead dumped the toddler’s body in a pile of trash which burned before investigators located it.
The defense attorney said Parks suffered major trauma and abuse as a child and had significant mental health issues which landed her in that state. He pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation, and distress which caused his client to have a psychotic break.
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The Hill family stepped out of the courtroom for much of the testimony and described their “devastation” at the little boy’s death.
Parks wrote letters to the Hill family, the judge, and the toddler, tearfully describing how she missed and loved him.
During sentencing, the judge recognized her mental health and trauma issues and the sincerity of her apology. Yet the judge also stated how there was so much more she could have done, but she chose to protect herself first instead of the child.
Parks will receive mental health treatment.