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A Louisiana woman serving a life sentence for feeding her premature baby organic cow’s milk after escaping Hurricane Katrina has been recommended for early release.
According to The Independent, the Louisiana Board of Pardon and Parole recommended that 43-year-old Tiffany Woods be released after she served 17 years behind bars for the death of her infant, Emmanuel, who died of malnutrition in November 2005.
Speaking to those present, Woods assured she was different from who she was then.
“At that stage of my life, I was a young mother who was trying to take care of her children the best she could,” Woods stated, getting emotional. “And I made some terrible decisions. But the woman who sits before you today, I’m not that same person.”
Along with Woods, her sons attended the hearing (one on Zoom and the other in person) to attest to how much their mother has changed and shared their desire to have their mother in their lives again in person.
Troy Woods, one of the sons, spoke on her behalf.
“I’d like to let it be known that I haven’t had much time with my mother as in growing up, but from what I’ve had time with her since she has been incarcerated and as she’s been reaching out to me and being supportive of me in spite of her situation, she’s a totally different woman. I’ve really seen her grow through adversary. She still stays optimistic. She doesn’t take it out on others, she puts all of her trust into God, and she taught us to put all our trust into God.”
Tony said he believed his mother could use her situation for the better and touch many people’s lives.
Her other son, Nie-John Woods, stated his mom ensured she gave him gifts every birthday despite her predicament, whether it be jewelry she made behind bars or a sweater she learned to knit.
Kristen Thomas, a warden at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in Baker, vouched for Woods, confirming she was a “low-risk, low-need” inmate.
Ultimately, the decision is in the hands of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
In 2005, Woods gave birth to Emmanuel prematurely, requiring doctors to care for him in the ICU, according to the Advocate. During his time in the ICU, Emmanuel needed special baby formula at specific times to improve his health and assist him in growing bigger.
Once doctors greenlighted 2-month-old Emanuel’s release, they gave medication instructions on his discharge papers but not feeding directives. Days later, Woods followed through with the discharge paper orders, from follow-up appointments to vaccines.
He was scheduled to visit the Tulane genetics lab the day after New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin warned the city about Hurricane Katrina and issued an evacuation order.
Woods went into survival mode, seeking shelter in a sports arena in Shreveport, a motel and, eventually, a rented house with her then-three children.
She fed Emmanuel baby formula with WIC (a government-funded nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children) vouchers. However, once she ran out of vouchers in October 2005, she decided to use organic cow’s milk, which doctors forbid for those under 12 months, but Woods’ discharge papers didn’t include that warning.
It’s imperative to note that Woods was a 25-year-old mother in survival mode during a life-threatening hurricane. While she may not have made this mistake with her two older children, she wasn’t dealing with one of the country’s worst hurricanes in history when she had them.
Unfortunately, on Nov. 27, Woods and her 18-year-old boyfriend at the time, Emmanuel Scott, found little Emmanuel lifeless in his crib.
Prosecutors used the fact that Scott and Woods had cooked food, organic milk cartons and Natural Ice beer in the fridge to drive their argument.
“Emmanuel did not starve in a hut in a war-ravaged African nation,” prosecutor Brady O’Callaghan stated in closing arguments. “He didn’t starve while he was trapped in an attic in New Orleans, surrounded by floodwater. He starved in a house in Shreveport, a house with a refrigerator full of beer and food and baby food and two healthy parents.”
Judge Jeanette Garrett called the photos of Woods and Scott’s fridge “haunting,” arguing that the money used toward cigarettes and beer could’ve been directed at Emmanuel’s baby formula.
Garette sentenced them both to life without parole for second-degree murder. The ball is in Edwards’ court on whether or not Woods would be granted freedom.