A Flushing woman admitted in court on Thursday to her role in the death of her 13-month-old daughter and the assault of the victim’s twin brother in their home last October, prosecutors announced.
Tina Torabi, 30, of Ashby Avenue in the Auburndale section of Flushing pleaded guilty on May 9 to second-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault. Earlier in the day, members of the 111th Precinct Detective Squad re-arrested Torabi on manslaughter charges as part of their investigation into the case.
After receiving her guilty plea, Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter indicated that he would likely sentence Torabi on May 30 to serve between 4 and 12 years for the manslaughter charge, and 8 1/2 years for the assault charge. Both sentences will run concurrently, according to acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan.
“The mother in this horrible case failed miserably. Her legal duty was to protect her children from harm and injury, that includes seeking medical attention promptly when one is hurt or in harm’s way,” Ryan said. “[Torabi] grossly neglected to perform these duties and because of her lack of care, the 13-month-old baby girl is dead and her twin brother has suffered immense pain. The expected sentence of the court is just and punishes the defendant — giving her ample time to dwell on the failures that led to her own child’s death and the other baby’s suffering.”
Officers from the 111th Precinct responded to the Torabi home at 10 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2018 after she called 911 seeking assistance for her 13-month-old daughter, Elaina, who was unresponsive. Paramedics also arrived at the scene and rushed the girl to Flushing Hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
Additional emergency personnel found the victim’s 13-month-old twin brother in the home wiht serious injuries. They brought him to Cohen Children’s Medical Center for treatment of multiple acute rib fractures, contusions on his lungs, a fractured pelvis, a visible healing bite mark, a fractured left leg and an adrenal hemorrhage.
Three other children — ages 5, 4 and 2 — were found unattended in the basement apartment, which prosecutors noted was in “deplorable, filthy and unsanitary” condition. The children were placed in the custody of the Administration for Children’s Services. They had been removed from Tina Torabi’s custody back in 2017 amid a drug use investigation, but later returned to their mother after the probe proved inconclusive.
Back in March, the Medical Examiner’s office ruled Elaina Torabi’s death as a homicide as a result of fatal child abuse syndrome.
Days after the child’s death, Mohammed Torabi — Tina’s estranged husband and the children’s father — jumped to his death from a Manhattan high-rise hotel. According to published reports, Tina allegedly told investigators that he had beaten the children.
