County of Conviction: Harrison County, MississippiConvicted of: Death of a Child while in Commission of Felonious Child AbuseSentence: Life without possibility of parole
Time Served: 17 years
WVIP Involvement: Client
The West Virginia Innocence Project inherited this case from the Mississippi Innocence Project where Valena Beety worked before becoming the director of the West Virginia Innocence Project.
Tasha was convicted based on "Shaken Baby Syndrome," a theory that has since been widely discredited. At the time of trial, experts had a limited understanding of how multiple factors--such as shortfalls and hereditary diseases--can cause accidental deaths.