Mother of 2-year-old Maliyah Bass gets 20-year sentence for toddler's 2020 death (WARNING: Contains graphic details)
In the final chapter of this heartbreaking case, Sahara Ervin broke down in tears and said she regretted her role in her daughter's beating death.
The horrific 2020 beating death of a Houston toddler who'd been reported missing shook the community to its core. Now, the mother of 2-year-old Maliyah Bass and her boyfriend are going to prison for her death.
We were in the courtroom Thursday when Sahara Ervin, Maliyah's mother, broke down in tears after the judge sentenced her to 20 years for injury to a child by omission and tampering with a corpse. She pleaded guilty to both charges in 2022 and agreed to testify against her boyfriend, Travion Thompson, as part of a plea deal.
WARNING: This story contains details that some may find disturbing.
Chapter 1 'Failed to protect her daughter'
Ervin's lawyer said she admitted that Maliyah, whose nickname was Tootie, was beaten with a belt and metal rod because she was having trouble potty training. The toddler died from her injuries so Ervin and Thompson dumped her body in a storm drain and reported her missing. Her body was found the next day in Brays Bayou.
“Sahara said, ‘I am so sorry. I am responsible. I am responsible for my daughter, and I failed,'" defense attorney Angela Weltin told us.
Before sentencing, Ervin told the judge she'd do anything to get her daughter back.
"She said that she will never forgive herself and that she wishes it was her that ended up dead instead of Maliyah," Weltin said. "She thanked the judge for his mercy and left. She said that crying."
Prosecutors asked for and got the maximum sentence.
"Ms. Ervin failed to protect her daughter, out of some level of self-interest. She admitted to that," prosecutor Lacy Johnson said. "She owed her daughter a duty of protection and she didn’t do that. Then she participated in a plan to dump the body in the storm drain. So for that, she had to be held accountable."
Chapter 2 Tougher sentence for boyfriend
On Wednesday, Thompson was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to the same charges, injury to a child by omission and tampering with a corpse.
As part of his plea deal, Thompson can't appeal the convictions or the sentence. He must serve at least 20 years before he will be eligible for parole.
“After three and half years, we were glad to reach a resolution in this case that let the family avoid a trial and ensure that Thompson will be in prison for decades,” prosecutor Lacy Johnson said. “He confessed to putting her body down a storm drain and that really sealed his fate.”
Chapter 3 Maliyah Bass timeline
Aug. 22, 2020: Ervin and Thompson reported Maliyah missing that Saturday morning and claimed she was last seen at their apartment complex's playground in southwest Houston.
In media interviews, the couple appeared to be inconsolable and emotional, but police later said it was all just an act.
Ervin and Thompson told police that Maliyah was last seen wearing a multi-colored tank top and multi-colored shorts. She was also carrying a pink and white pillowcase with her that had letter blocks inside.
A regional AMBER Alert was issued and volunteers with Texas Equusearch immediately launched a search of the complex and the area surrounding it.
The complex's pool was drained because it was too murky to see the bottom but there was no sign of Maliyah.
Aug. 23: The next morning, a jogger spotted the body of a child in Brays Bayou, more than 20 miles from where Maliyah was last seen. HPD later confirmed that it was Maliyah and said foul play was suspected.
Ervin was at the scene and collapsed in tears when the body was pulled from the water. Thompson was also emotional.
"Y'all are supposed to have four, five dogs looking for my baby," he said.
He later complained to the media that police hadn't done a sufficient job of searching for the girl.
“That’s my baby. She knows her ABCs. She knows her 123s. She knew how to talk because of me and her mother. She was smart she was growing up to be something," Thompson said, all the while knowing that they were responsible for Maliyah's death and disappearance.
Aug. 24, 2020: Investigators were suspicious of the couple from the beginning, according to a search warrant later obtained by KHOU 11 News. They were questioned multiple times and homicide detectives said their stories were inconsistent. Neither helped search for Maliyah and they were upset when a trained tracking dog was brought in to help.
Aug. 29, 2020: A teddy bear vigil was held in memory of Maliyah at the family's apartment complex.
Sept. 2, 2020: Maliyah's father, Octavious Bass, expressed frustration that no one had been charged in her death. He spoke to us from his home in Dallas where he was planning a funeral for his daughter.
“I never got to be a dad and tell her how life was and be a real father figure to her," Bass said. “I just want justice. I just want to put her to rest and get justice for her."
Oct. 5, 2020: HPD again brought the couple in for questioning "after evidence of their involvement in the disappearance of Maliyah was discovered."
Oct. 6, 2020: Ervin, then 20, and Thompson, then 21, were arrested and charged with injury to a child and tampering with evidence. Ervin smiled broadly in her mug shot.
Oct. 7, 2020: Prosecutors alleged that they dumped Maliyah's body in a storm drain and she floated 20 miles to the bayou.
Oct. 8, 2020: Thompson told investigators that Ervin killed Maleah. Prosecutors revealed that the boyfriend was seen standing near a dumpster and a storm drain the day before they reported the girl missing. He was ordered to be held without bond.
Nov. 20, 2020: Maleah's death was officially ruled a homicide.
Dec. 16, 2020: According to the warrant obtained by KHOU, Thompson told investigators that he put Maliyah's body in the trash can but he couldn't bring himself to leave her there. He said he and Ervin took the girl's body to another storm drain and dumped her at about 11 p.m. the night she died.
Jan. 6, 2022: Ervin pleaded guilty to injury to a child and agreed to testify against Thompson as part of her plea deal.
“Right now, I just want to bust out crying but I’m trying not to," Maliyah's father told us. "Just thinking about it makes me sad."
Bass didn't think a maximum of 20 years for Ervin was enough.
“I really don’t like that she’s getting 20. But I don’t have no choice but to be ok with it because they’re saying that’s the maximum she can get because she testified against him," Bass said. “It’s either you did it or he did it or both of y’all did it. So you might as well tell the truth."
Feb. 28, 2024: Thompson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Feb. 29, 2024: Ervin was sentenced to the maximum of 20 years behind bars as part of the 2022 plea deal.