After the prosecutor conceded a lack of definitive evidence that their filthy homeor the neglect associated with it killed their baby, an Evanston couple was sentenced Tuesday to six months in jail, followed by three years’ probation for child abuse.
Tevin Medina, 32, and Bailey Bettinson, 24, could each face three to six years in prison if they fail probation.
They each pleaded “no contest” earlier this year to felony child abuse, several months after the October 2023 death of their 9-month-old baby Renezmae, who died in their home.
Uinta County Attorney Loretta Howieson Kallas dismissed a count of manslaughter charged against each parent during a Tuesday sentencing hearing in the Evanston-based Uinta County District Court.
“Your honor, this case has been difficult, I believe, for everyone involved,” said Kallas.
She said her office engaged the services of a Primary Children’s Hospital doctor, who wasn’t comfortable concluding in a trial that the parents’ actions resulted directly in the girl’s death.
“While she had some concerns related to the environment Renezmae was in,” said Howieson Kallas, the doctor “did not believe she could provide an opinion that the death of Renezmae was directly related to that, with a degree of certainty.”
Renezmae’s death was “not intentionally inflicted,” and the couple have not been convicted of manslaughter, nor have they admitted to manslaughter at any point, the prosecutor said.
The neglect the girl endured was, “unfortunately, consistent with some of the psychological information we have from both parties,” said Howieson Kallas.
Specifically, Bettinson attested to suffering from post-partum depression, and Medina to having other mental conditions and an intellectual disability.
The prosecutor said she tried to be mindful of the fact that this couple, besides participating in their cases, have also been "dealing with the death of a child."
Twin Plea Agreements
District Court Judge James Kaste told Medina and Bettinson to continue counseling, and ordered Medina to take a parenting class that Bettinson has already taken.
The pair’s counselor said she does not have concerns about whether Bettinson’s older daughter will be safe around Medina when the pair are out of jail, and if and when they’re reunited with the girl, who would be 4 or 5 years old by now.
Howieson Kallas said the defendants are also “dealing with” a juvenile case which may provide more state supervision over them following their sentencing.
That case is not public.
Both Bettinson and Medina declined to speak to Kaste when he told them they could speak on their own behalf.
Their sentencing arrangement reflects twin plea agreements they’ve both struck with Howieson Kallas.
Kaste accepted those plea agreements, and sentenced each to 180 days in jail. They each had roughly one month of credit for pre-sentence incarceration, meaning they’ll both be out of jail in about five months.
After that they’ll have three years’ supervised probation, during which they are to maintain work or schooling, and be law-abiding and sober.
The judge said they don’t show strong addiction problems.
If they fail probation, they could have their probation terms revoked and face between three and six years in prison.
Kaste ordered them to pay other standard court costs and fees, and $500 in public defender’s fees each.
October Air
Evanston police found Medina and Bettinson’s 9-month-old daughter Renezmae unresponsive in the early morning hours of Oct. 20, 2023, says an evidentiary affidavit in the case.
Evanston Police Detective Scott Faddis arrived to find Bettinson, the baby’s mother, performing CPR on her lifeless body just outside the family home in the cool October air.
The girl’s father, Medina, would later tell police they took her outside for CPR so her older sister, age 3, would not have to see her unresponsive. Faddis found the baby’s body cold to the touch and contracting into rigor mortis, the document says.
Fremont County forensic pathologist Dr. Randall Frost, who performs work for other jurisdictions as well, could not determine the girl’s cause of death, but said he could not rule out asphyxia.
The parents said they put the girl to bed the evening before, then went to bed themselves.
Authorities looking through the apartment found it filthy: the floors and walls were covered with animal feces and urine. The microwave contained spoiled meat. Mold and clutter littered the home. A steak knife sat on the floor next to dried vomit in the children’s bedroom, the affidavit says.
The stench was so bad, detectives had to take breathing breaks outside, they noted in the affidavit.
The Department of Family Services took the couple’s 3-year-old daughter into protective custody.
DFS had visited the two children about three weeks before the baby’s death and found the home filthy at that time as well, says the document, which indicates DFS worked with the family to improve the home before letting the children go back in it at that time. It’s unclear which efforts were taken.
DFS does not discuss case details with the media.
Prior to that, on Sept. 1, 2023, a police officer went to the home to help the apartment manager with an inspection. The manager was worried about bad living conditions for the children, the affidavit says.
And one year earlier before Renezmae was born, DFS staff worked cases regarding the unsafe living conditions of the home, says the document.
After Her Death
A neighbor interviewed by police four days after the baby’s death said she’d been worried about the filthy conditions of the home, the document says.
The 3-year-old would run around the apartment complex in only a diaper, her body covered in filth, the neighbor reportedly said, adding that these conditions were worsened when Bettinson’s boyfriend moved in.
The neighbor said she could see and smell the filth from the sidewalk, the document relates.
The document says that two months after Renezmae’s death, Evanston Animal Control was dispatched to the home regarding the unsafe living conditions for the cats and dogs there.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
