An Ohio mother who died after feeding her diabetic 4-year-old daughter a diet mainly consisting of Mountain Dew was sentenced Friday to at least nine years in prison for her daughter’s death.
Tamara Banks pleaded guilty in March to manslaughter in the death of her daughter, Carmity Hove, who died in 2022 from brain damage caused by diabetes. Prosecutors said Banks, 41, often fed her daughter formula mixed with sweet fluorescent green soda, even after she was past the age when she should have stopped drinking bottles.
Carmity died of diabetic ketoacidosis at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, just west of her Claremont County home. The Cincinnati Inquirer reported.
The toddler had been showing signs of “serious health issues” for several days, but her mother didn’t call 911 until she turned blue and stopped breathing. The media reported the news. Subsequent tests revealed the girl was brain dead, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors also charged that Carmity was neglected and abused for much of her short life and denied proper nutrition and medical care — there was no evidence she was ever taken to the dentist, and all of the girl’s teeth were found to be rotten at the time of her death.
A 20-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew contains 77 grams of sugar. Experts say Children should consume less than 24 grams per day.
“This is one of the most tragic cases I’ve ever come across,” Clermont County Deputy Prosecutor Clay Tharp said. “This child did not need to die.”
Carmity was nicknamed “Boogie” because of her playful personality, but she is remembered as a smart and lively girl. According to his obituary“She knew how beautiful and special she was… As much as she loved to smile so big and say ‘cheese,’ the camera loved her too.”
“She woke up every day filled with joy and love,” he continued.
Prosecutors pointed out that Banks has a son who went into a coma at age 4 after his condition went undiagnosed. Clermont County District Court Judge Victor Haddad said Banks’ son’s condition should have taught her about the dangers of diabetes before her daughter’s tragic death, The Inquirer reported.
“It’s hard to be a good parent, but I expect you to be at least a mediocre parent,” Haddad said at Friday’s hearing. “It’s not an excuse to say you don’t know what to do.”
“I was trying to take care of her,” Banks, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, said Friday.
Despite her children’s suffering, Banks regularly refilled her own prescriptions and even arranged for doctors to visit her at home when there was a medical need, prosecutors found.
She faces up to 13-and-a-half years in prison.
Ms Carmity’s father, Christopher Hove, 53, also pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is due to be sentenced in June.
