A Galveston County jury has convicted a woman in the 2024 death of her 17-month-old daughter at a hotel along the Galveston Seawall.

According to KHOU 11, jurors found Channel Yonko guilty of capital murder after prosecutors said she threw her toddler, Hannah Yonko, from a third-floor balcony at the Beachfront Palms Hotel in October 2024.

Police previously said the child was discovered near 59th Street outside the hotel with severe injuries and puncture wounds before being transported to a hospital, where she later died.

During the trial, Yonko’s defense team argued she was legally insane at the time of the killing. Jurors ultimately rejected that defense after hearing 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 following the decision, noting the difficulty of the evidence presented during the trial.

Prosecutors described the case as one of the most emotionally challenging they have handled because of the victim’s age. Assistant District Attorney Michael Rinehart said reviewing the evidence was particularly difficult.

A juror later said the panel carefully weighed the defense’s argument regarding Yonko’s mental state but concluded the evidence did not support it.

Prosecutors had previously announced they would not pursue the death penalty in the case. Under Texas law, because the victim was younger than 10 years old, Yonko faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.