Georgia woman gets 21 years in prison for 2-year-old’s death

CANTON — A Canton woman was sentenced last week after pleading guilty to the 2022 murder of a 2-year-old girl she had been caring for.

What happened: 44-year-old Phillissa Diallo pleaded guilty May 11 to three charges in the death of Alyssa Rose Davis. Chief Superior Court Judge David L. Cannon Jr. sentenced her to 37 years, with the first 21 to be served in prison.

Diallo pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to children, and concealing the death of another person. The plea was non-negotiated, meaning no deal was made with prosecutors in exchange for it.

The discovery: On Dec. 14, 2022, Diallo walked into the Canton Police Department to report a dead child at her apartment on Hearthstone Landing Drive. Officers found Alyssa’s mutilated remains inside a plastic storage bin filled with a salt substance, hidden under other items in a closet.

How Alyssa died: An autopsy found she died from lethal amounts of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl. The exact date of her death could not be determined. She was last known to be alive Dec. 8. Her body was found six days later.

What prosecutors said: Diallo had been caring for Alyssa continuously for more than two weeks. Ring doorbell video showed Diallo leaving the child alone in the apartment for long stretches of time. Alyssa’s mother had been in regular contact with Diallo and had no idea her daughter was dead until police told her.

At the hearing, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Hines said Diallo admitted Alyssa was still alive when Diallo first found her. Hines told the court that calling 911 or getting help at that moment may have saved the child’s life.

“Instead of taking steps to preserve the child’s health and well-being, the defendant demonstrated willful neglect. She then took gruesome, unimaginable steps to conceal her death,” Hines said. “Alyssa was not treated with the protection and dignity owed to every child, and that reality will haunt everyone involved in this case.”

The evidence: Prosecutors presented the plastic storage bin where Alyssa’s remains were found, Ring video showing Diallo bringing bleach into the apartment, and crime scene photographs that revealed areas where blood had been cleaned.

The mental health dispute: The defense brought in an independent expert who said Diallo was delusional at the time of the crime. A state behavioral health expert testified she was not. Diallo has a reported history of anxiety and depression. Hines argued that history did not explain or justify what happened to Alyssa.

Why the charge was not more serious: Investigators determined Diallo was the only person with Alyssa in the days before and after her death. Even so, prosecutors said the evidence was not strong enough to support a charge of malice murder, which under Georgia law requires proof that a person intended to kill. Second-degree murder does not require that same level of intent.

The sentence: Prosecutors asked for 40 years in prison, the maximum allowed under Georgia law. The defense asked for a lighter sentence. Judge Cannon sentenced Diallo to 37 years, with 21 to be served behind bars. He also ordered her to have no contact of any kind with Alyssa’s family.

Alyssa’s mother told the court she was “robbed” when her daughter was taken from her, that her other children miss their sister deeply, and that their family will never be the same.