photo gallery

Mom gets life for putting baby in oven

By Monica Land - TheMississippiLink.com

April 12, 2012

GREENVILLE – A 25-year old woman has been sentenced to life in prison after she admitted she put her son in the oven while he was still alive. Terri Robinson appeared in front of Judge Ashley Hines in Washington County Circuit Court last week where entered a plea of guilty in the murder of her son, 3-year-old Tristan Robinson.

Tristan was found by police at his mother’s apartment on March 2, 2011 after responding to an emergency call.

At the time of the incident, Washington County Coroner Methel Johnson said she was called to the scene at Robinson’s first floor apartment in Greenville about 12:32 a.m., after officers found the toddler’s nude body in the oven.

Although the toddler was pronounced dead when she arrived, Johnson said he actually died a few hours earlier.

“He hadn’t been deceased that long,” Johnson said then. “The actual time of his death was probably around 10 p.m., but I pronounced him after I arrived around 1:02 a.m.”

Authorities said Tristan’s body was still warm when he was removed from the oven and that he had severe burns on his body. Johnson also said he sustained some trauma to his head.

Initially, Johnson said she’d hope Tristan died from head injuries prior to being placed in the oven. Autopsy results a few days later, however, proved otherwise.

“His cause of death was thermal injury as the result of the heat from the stove,” an emotional Johnson said. “We can not relate if he was conscience or unconscious at the time or not. But the head injury may have indirectly or directly come from him rolling over in the oven.”

Robinson was charged with murder and her bond was set at $5 million by Greenville city judge Michael Prewitt.

At the time of the investigation, Robinson’s twin sister, Sherrie, said her sister was “a great parent” and a “good person,” and that family members didn’t know “what went wrong or what happened.”

“Do not sit there and call her a bad mom ‘cause that’s not what she is,” Sherrie Robinson told WXVT.”

Another child, a little girl, found at the residence was removed from the home by the Department of Human Services during the investigation.

Johnson said during her many years as coroner, Tristan’s case was particularly disturbing.

“This is a really sad moment for me. I’ve seen a lot of things, but this is one that will stick in my memory for a long, long time,” Johnson said then.

Coroner: Mississippi Boy Found in Oven Died From Heat

FoxNews.com

March 05, 2011

JACKSON, Mississippi -- A toddler whose body was found inside the electric oven at his family's home died from heat injuries, according to preliminary results from medical examiners released Friday.

Washington County Coroner Methel Johnson said the pathologist was still trying to determine if 3-year-old Tristan Robinson was conscious when he was put inside the oven. He also appeared to have suffered trauma to his head.

Greenville Police found the boy's body at his mother's apartment Wednesday after responding to an emergency call just after midnight. The mother, 24-year-old Terrie A. Robinson, has been charged with murder. She is being held on a $5 million bond.

Police have declined to release many details because of the ongoing investigation.

Johnson said a little girl found in the home was placed in the care of the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

"I've seen a lot of things in my years doing this, but nothing like this," Johnson said. "I just thought about my grandchildren."

Terrie Robinson's twin sister, Sherrie Robinson, told WXVT-TV that people should not judge her sister before all the facts are known.

"She was a great parent, a good person. We don't know what's wrong. We don't know what happened. Do not sit there and call her a bad mom cause that's not what she is," Sherrie Robinson told the TV station.

Mother arrested after three-year-old son's burned body was found in oven

DailyMail.com

March 3, 2011

A mother is accused of murdering her three-year-old son whose charred body was found in her oven.

Terrie A. Robinson, 24, from Mississippi, was arrested yesterday after police found her son Tristan's burned body inside the electric oven at her apartment.

Washington County Coroner Methel Johnson said the child had been burned in the oven, but an autopsy was ordered to determine whether he died before or after being put there.

The child's body was still warm when it was removed from the appliance.

Mr Johnson said of the incident: 'This is a really sad moment for me. I've seen a lot of things, but this is one that will stick in my memory for a long, long time.'

There appeared to be some trauma to the three-year-old's head and it was possible that could have happened before he was placed in the oven.

Officers found the body after responding to an emergency call, but no details were released at this time.

Mr Johnson said a little girl found in the home was placed in the care of the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

Terrie Robinson's twin sister, Sherrie Robinson, told WXVT-TV that people should not judge her sister before all the facts are known.

She said: 'She was a great parent, a good person. We don't know what's wrong.

'We don't know what happened. Do not sit there and call her a bad mom cause that's not what she is.'