Grandmother sentenced for DUI crash that killed 10-month-old

TAMPA, Fla. - Prosecutors say 10-month-old Harlem Mention never had a chance at life and her grandmother, Helen Mention, is to blame.

On October 25, 2019, they say Mention was driving drunk when she hit a guard rail near the Westbound entrance of Interstate 4, in Tampa. Harlem should have been safely buckled into a car seat. Instead, prosecutors say she was sitting on Mention’s lap and crushed to death by the impact.

For years, the case moved slowly through the legal system. However, last summer prosecutor Christine Brown presented Mention with a plea offer.  

"It was 15 years in prison, followed by two years of community control followed by three years of drug offenders’ probation," Brown told the court.

Initially, Mention rejected the offer. Now, ten months later there is a change of heart. The 53-year-old was in a Tampa courtroom Thursday ready to accept responsibility for her actions. She agreed to plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child and DUI manslaughter and leave the sentence up to the judge.

Before handing down her decision, Judge Barbara Twine-Thomas heard from a number of witnesses including several of Mention's family members.

Her sister, Flora Mention told the court her older sister is haunted every day by what happened.  

"She knows she can’t bring her back, but we want her to be able to forgive herself because she loved that baby," she said tearfully.

Mention also spoke and told the court about being in abusive relationships and suffering years of domestic abuse by her partners. She also talked about her own mothers struggles with alcohol addiction. Mention sobbed when she shared how much love she had for Harlem. 

"She was like my baby, she was always with me," she explained.

Harlem's mother asked the court to consider all the facts before ruling on her sentence, but never provided the court with a recommendation.

Brown, the prosecutor, asked the judge to sentence Mention to fifteen years in prison. The defense asked for ten years behind bars. 

After several hours of testimony, Judge Twine-Thomas decided to consider Mention's family history of drug and alcohol addiction and the years of domestic abuse she had suffered.

Mention was sentenced to ten years in prison followed by four years of probation. Following her release, she must also complete a drug treatment program.

Mention was fingerprinted and handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom.