WEST UNION, Ohio (Court TV) — A woman who pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the death of her toddler cried in court as her attorney talked about the circumstances that led to the child’s death.
Tien Hawkins cries during her sentencing on June 17, 2026. (Court TV)
Tien Hawkins, 26, pleaded guilty to endangering a child and two counts of committing child abuse as part of an agreement with prosecutors that saw them drop several other charges, including murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors recommended that Hawkins be sentenced to 30 months for each of the charges, with the second two sentences running consecutive to the first but concurrent with each other — amounting to a total of five years behind bars followed by up to three years of post-release supervision.
Hawkins’ 2-year-old daughter, Lilith, was found unresponsive at the family’s home on July 1, 2025. Investigators were called to the house by Hawkins’ fiance, Brian Moser, 23, who admitted to using corporal punishment on the 2-year-old as well as Hawkins’ 1- and 5-year-olds left in his care.
Prosecutors said that Hawkins was well aware of the abuse her children were suffering, but Mackenzi Carrington, one of Hawkins’ attorneys, argued that she had no idea. “The majority of the abuse that was happening was occurring while Ms. Hawkins was at work supporting the family, and she entrusted Mr. Moser to become the full-time daycare provider for the children,” Carrington said. “Unbeknownst to her were the horrific things that were happening.”
Hawkins began to cry while her attorney spoke, and addressed the Court through tears. “I love my children, and I wanted to give them the best life I possibly could,” she said. “If I knew what he was doing, it would never have gotten as far to what it did, and then I would still have all three of my children.”
Hawkins told investigators that she had been asleep when Moser woke her up and said that Lilith wasn’t breathing. While she denied ever hurting her children, Hawkins told police that Moser would “bust their butts” and had previously warned him that he hit Lilith too hard. Lilith was being potty trained at the time of her death; Hawkins told investigators that Moser would “bust her butt” whenever she had an accident.
Lilith was found with bruises to her forehead and legs; the 1- and 5-year-olds also showed signs of “bruising and beatings,” investigators said.
Brian Moser sits in court during his sentencing on March 24, 2026. (Court TV)
Moser previously pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering children. In his case, Judge Brett Spencer went above the agreed-upon terms of the plea deal, sentencing him to spend at least 17 years in prison. Spencer noted that the day before Lilith’s death, Moser changed his name from Terry Smith III to Brian Moser because he liked the character from the TV series “Dexter.” The character “Brian Moser” is a serial killer on the show.
Spencer appeared to question whether he would accept the stipulated plea agreement because of the concurrent sentences for two of the charges. “The court has struggled with whether a 30-month sentence should be placed on each child,” he said. “I don’t find that to be harsh when you look at the realities of this.”
Ultimately, noting that Hawkins’ remorse appeared genuine and that he believed she was unlikely to reoffend, Spencer sentenced her to the agreed-upon five-year term, with credit for the nearly one year she had already served.
