Parole was denied for a Louisiana mother of four who was convicted of the murder of her 5-month-old infant after feeding him cow’s milk when she ran out of baby formula and other supplies during Hurricane Katrina.
Tiffany Woods was convicted by a judge of second-degree murder in 2008, three years after the death of her son, Emmanuel, in Shreveport.
Emmanuel was born prematurely in 2005 at just three pounds. During his month-long stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, he tested positive for a deficiency that rendered his body unable to break down certain fats. His condition increased the likelihood of sudden death due to his low blood sugar, so he needed frequent feedings to offset the risk.
He was discharged from the hospital just three weeks before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Woods’ family initially found shelter at a sports arena before relocating to a motel, and then finally settled into a rented house to ride out the storm.
Woods told the parole board that Emmanuel had been throwing up the baby formula she fed him in “large amounts.” She continued feeding him formula until she ran out of WIC food vouchers, so she decided to give him cow’s milk. Pediatricians advise against giving children under one year old cow’s milk.
“I didn’t know what to do. I made the devastating decision to change my child’s milk. And he was taking his milk,” she said. “I thought he was doing better, but he wasn’t doing better. I didn’t know how to go about anything but survival mode.”
Emmanuel died in November 2005 after his condition deteriorated. Woods and her husband, who were 25 and 18, respectively, when the baby died, were charged with murder, and their convictions in Louisiana carried mandatory life sentences without parole. The state also allows a defendant to be convicted of murder in some cases of accidental death.
Though her conviction meant she had to serve a life sentence in prison, then-Gov. John Bel Edwards partially commuted her sentence in 2023 so she would only serve 36 years.
That meant Woods could be eligible for parole after serving half of that sentence.
However, her recent bid for parole failed on Feb. 10 due to a single no vote on a three-person panel, the Times-Picayune reported.
The board members who endorsed Woods’ release noted her commitment to rehabilitation, her completion of several prison programs and an assessment deeming her as low risk for committing a second offense.
“You pose no risk to public safety. You have done an excellent job of rehabilitation. Your conduct has been very good, and plans for reentry are excellent,” Board member Jerrie LeDoux said. “But at this time, you needed a unanimous vote.”
The lone opposing vote came from Leone Fitzgerald, director of victim assistance for the DA’s office in Caddo Parish.
Fitzgerald conceded that while circumstances during Hurricane Katrina had to be “chaotic” and “stressful,” she said the panel was “getting a little tired of hearing about” how the storm factored into the child’s death. She also wasn’t convinced the situation was enough for Woods not to feed her baby.
“No rational person could look at that … poor emaciated baby and not do something. Take him to the emergency room, take him to the doctor. Take him to a fire station … and drop him off where he would have a chance,” she said. “I think there were a lot of options that these people chose not to take.”
Had Woods received a unanimous vote, she would have been released from prison in September.
She’ll be able to reapply for parole in five years. Without parole, she’ll be released with credit for “good time” in 10 years. Emmanuel’s father is still serving life.
Woods’ remaining four children, Nie’John, Nyla, Elisha, Troy’John, were placed in foster care after she was incarcerated.
The oldest child, Nie’John, was 8 when Emmanuel died. Prosecutors claimed that Woods didn’t perform CPR on the baby, but Nie’John recalled the day Emmanuel died, and when his mother called 911 and tried to resuscitate the baby.
“What I remember is basically chaos. The baby was found dead in his crib, my mother panicking, calling 911. I remember her doing CPR, and I also remember the court finding that she didn’t do CPR, but I witnessed her doing CPR on the baby while on the phone with the dispatcher,” Nie’John Woods said, per KTAL. “I remember the police, after that CPS, and then we were whisked off to a group home before foster care.”
