Hailey Unique Burleson, 7 months old
Talawrence Donyea Tennell
February 27, 2015
Bryan man charged in death of 7-month-old baby
A three-time felon has been charged with killing his girlfriend's baby while under the influence of a hallucination-inducing drug, according to reports from the Bryan Police Department that are consistent with stories from neighbors and a family member.
On Wednesday afternoon, Crystal Harris left the apartment on Prairie Flower Circle she shared with Talawrence Tennell to pick her 5-year-old daughter up from school and bring her to the doctor, according to a probable cause statement.
When she left, seven-month-old Hailey Burleson was next to Tennell on the bed. When she returned several hours later, Tennell was holding an unresponsive Burleson and repeating her name over and over. The child was already blue, according to Harris, and Tennell had blood on his shirt.
During an interview with police, Tennell told officers he had been napping next to the baby in bed, according to a police report. When he awoke, the seven-month-old was lying unresponsive on the floor. Tennell held
Burleson until Harris returned home and called police, who were dispatched to the house just before 4 p.m., according to the police report.
About an hour before that, Samantha Jones, a resident on the street, said she entered the apartment above Tennell to get a cup of milk for cooking. The couple who lived there confirmed Jones' story and said they left the door unlocked for her as they were not home at the time.
Jones said as she climbed the steps to the apartment, she saw an agitated Tennell outside.
"He was yelling, 'This is my house, my house,' growling like a dog. He started barking like he was a dog," she told The Eagle. "Then when I was upstairs, I heard him yelling at the baby like 'Is this what you want?'"
The baby had swelling on her forehead and scrapes on her face, according to officials. Several X-rays and a CT scan showed a broken femur, a cracked skull, fractured ribs and her right wrist either broken or dislocated.
There was bruising on her chest and the bottoms of her feet.
A doctor at the hospital told detectives the injuries were not consistent with falling from the bed to the floor, but with blunt force trauma, according to the police report.
Tennell told officers he was high on the drug phencyclidine, or PCP, after a bottle of the substance broke in his pants and was absorbed into his skin.
Tennell's criminal record in Brazos County stretches back to 1998. Most of his charges involve alcohol, drugs or evading arrest. In 2006, he exposed himself twice to a minor in her home. He was found or pleaded guilty to five felonies, including evading arrest with prior convictions and possessing cocaine. He has been in prison three times according to Jessica Escue, an assistant district attorney. Each time he served no more than two years before receiving parole. He was last incarcerated from Aug. 29, 2011, to Nov. 5, 2012, and was on parole at the time of his arrest Wednesday.
On Jan. 23, Tennell was arrested after removing tire rims in a parking lot and was placed in custody for evading arrest with prior convictions. He posted a $11,000 bond and was released on Jan. 24. Craig Burleson, the brother of Hailey Burleson's father, compared his niece to an angel.
"She was one-of-a-kind," he said. "So sweet and lovable."
Craig Burleson initially thought the news of his niece's death was exaggerated. He knew Tennell and while he was aware of some of his arrest record, he had a positive overall impression of Tennell.
"I never thought something like this would occur," he said. "I always looked at him as a well-respected guy."
Neighbors who were home early Thursday afternoon said they had little interaction with the couple since they moved into the apartment several months ago. Craig Williams, who lived in the fourplex next door, echoed several other neighbors who said Tennell keep to himself.
"Every time I spoke to him, he never spoke back," said Williams.
Harris did not respond to requests for comment. She posted a status on her Facebook Thursday thanking family and friends for their support and telling people to not assume what happened.
"I loved Hailey and I would never leave her or Riley in harm's way. For my Baby girl Hailey Unique Burleson ..... Mama love you. With all my heart. And I know you are in a better place."
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/b...80aa57afc.html
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