Buzzfeed News reports that in 2004, Tondalo Hall was arrested for failing to
protect her then-3-month-old daughter and 20-month-old son from her
abusive boyfriend, Robert Braxton. According to court documents, Hall,
who was also being abused by Braxton, took her two children to the
doctor, where she discovered that both infants had broken ribs and
broken femurs. Both Hall and Braxton were taken into custody.
During
the 2004 hearing, Hall testified against Braxton, claiming that she was
unaware of the children's injuries, but both the judge and prosecutors
felt that her hesitance on the stand would result in a mild sentence for
Braxton. Prosecutors offered him a two-year plea deal, which he took.
However, at Hall's trial, a judge said that she was "less than candid"
in her testimony, and sentenced her to 30 years in prison for failing to
protect her children.
Hall isn't eligible for parole until
2030—only four years before her scheduled release. The
parole board voted 5-0 to deny her application for clemency, offering no
explanation.
"The Oklahoma Parole Board had the responsibility
to make things right, and they failed with today's decision," Shaunna
Thompson, co-founder of advocacy group UltraViolet, said in a
statement.
BuzzFeed found that, currently, there are 28 abused
women across the country who are serving prison sentences of at least 10
years for failing to protect their children from abusers.
