Virginia Mom Sentenced To 55 Years in Prison For Abuse Death of Son
Thirty-seven year old Julia Leanna Tomlin of Virginia, was sentenced Monday to 55 years in prison for the death of her 2-year-old son Noah.
Tomlin initially reported her son as missing on June 24, 2019, two days after when prosecutors believe Noah was killed. She allegedly claimed she put her three children to bed and the next morning could not find him.
Initially, Tomlin claimed Noah, who had autism, was abducted. She later claimed he hit his head on the bathtub and drowned when she left him unattended. She admitted to using heroin.
According to Hampton Commonwealth Attorney Anton Bell, Tomlin called a friend and asked them to bring over cleaning supplies and to dispose of Noah’s body. They placed Noah in a diaper box, then triple-bagged the box with three garbage bags. Noah’s body was found a few days later in a dumpster across town from where they live.
The medical examiner compared Noah’s injuries to those of someone who’d fallen multiple down multiple stories. Noah’s injuries were consistent with a skull fracture from being picked up by his leg and hit against the wall. His injuries were also in line with shaken baby syndrome.
Court records reveal that Tomlin was convicted of felony child neglect in 2010. In that case, she was charged with placing her 1-year-old daughter’s back on a hot stove, causing burns to the girl’s back and shoulders.
Tomlin pled guilty last December to second-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and felony child abuse in Noah’s death.
During sentencing, Chief Judge Michael Gaten told Tomlin he didn’t know if he could live with himself if he didn’t give her the maximum sentence. Among those wanting the maximum sentence for Tomlin was her 19-year-old daughter, the eldest of Tomlin’s 10 children.
“My mother, Julia Tomlin, has never been fit to be a parent…All of her children have been removed from her care and should have never been returned to her care.” In another statement, her daughter, who asked to not be named, recalled how she took care of her own siblings at the age of six before she was sent to live with paternal grandparents.
Tomlin received 40 years in prison on the charge of second-degree murder, 5 years for concealment, and 10 years for abuse and neglect.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
