Defendant’s Son Also Pled Guilty in the Case
WASHINGTON -Suzette Nicole Allen, 45, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of six and one half years for beating and maltreating a four-year-old boy who was in her care last summer, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Allen’s son, Timothy Allen, 20, was sentenced in July 2017 to six years and eight months in prison for his role in the crimes. Both defendants pled guilty in April 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree cruelty to children. The pleas, which were contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for prison sentences of 18 months to seven years. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted Suzette Allen’s guilty plea today and sentenced her accordingly. Following completion of her prison term, she will be placed on three years of supervised release; during that time, she is to have no contact with children under 18.
Timothy Allen also will be placed on three years of supervised release following his prison term; during that time, he is to have no contact with children under the age of 18.
According to the government’s evidence, the child’s mother put the boy and his older brother in the care of the Allen family, who she knew, during the summer of 2016. Over the summer, the Allens beat the child with their hands and with drumsticks. The child’s health deteriorated as a result of these beatings, and by early August, he was having trouble walking. Over the next couple of weeks, the boy grew lethargic and his balance faltered. In text messages, the defendants discussed what was happening. Yet they never sought medical attention.
The boy’s mother received the children back from the Allen family on Aug. 16, 2016, immediately recognized that something was wrong, and rushed him to Children’s National Medical Center. He was found to be suffering from multiple brain contusions, two lacerations to his liver, a hemorrhage in his abdominal cavity, two rib fractures, a fractured finger, a missing tooth, patterned scars to his spine, abdomen, chest and inner thighs, and healing injuries to his forehead, eye, nose, jaw, and chest. The boy was kept at the hospital for 17 days and then spent another 55 days in rehabilitation at another facility.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was alerted by medical professionals and began an investigation that led to the defendants’ arrests last fall. Timothy Allen has been in custody since his arrest. Until today, Suzette Nicole Allen had been free on personal recognizance, with a condition that she have no contact with children under age 18.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Child Forensic Interview Specialist Tracy Owusu, Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughn, and Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis Manzo and Melissa Price, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
