Galveston County jury convicts Houston mother in toddler’s death at Seawall Boulevard hotel

Prosecutors called it the most difficult case of a career. Now there’s a verdict in the Galveston hotel toddler death case.

A Galveston County jury has found a Houston mother guilty in the death of her 17-month-old daughter, bringing a verdict in a case that shocked the community when it happened in 2024.

Prosecutors said Channel Yonko threw her toddler, Hannah Yonko, from a third-floor balcony at the Beachfront Palms Hotel along Seawall Boulevard in Galveston in October 2024.

Hannah was found on 59th Street near the hotel, injured and with puncture wounds, and later died at a hospital.

Yonko was charged with capital murder. During the trial, her attorneys argued she was legally insane at the time of the killing. Jurors rejected that defense after about a week of testimony.

The jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning a guilty verdict.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Casey Kirst thanked jurors for their work reviewing the evidence in the case.

“We greatly appreciate the work the jury put in. They spent an entire week looking at some of the toughest evidence that there is to look at,” Kirst said. “We appreciate the work that they put in and how quickly they delivered such a swift verdict.”

Prosecutors described the case as emotionally difficult, given the age of the victim. Assistant District Attorney Michael Rinehart said the evidence was hard to watch.

“I’m not a crier, but the first time I went through the evidence it got me tearing up,” Rinehart said. “It was definitely an emotional case.”

Kirst said the case has stayed with her since the day the toddler died.

“This was probably the most difficult case I will face in my career. I have been on this case since the day it happened,” she said, adding that despite the emotional toll, “it has been worth every second fighting for Hannah.”

After the verdict, juror Jeanie Tinkle said the jury carefully considered the defense’s argument that Yonko was legally insane.

“It’s such a sad case and I kept on thinking of Hannah,” Tinkle said. “We all wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but we just couldn’t get there.”

Prosecutors previously announced they would not seek the death penalty in the case.

Under Texas law, because the victim was younger than 10, Yonko will receive a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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