HAMILTON — Tiana Centers should have known better than to leave her 3-year-old daughter alone with her boyfriend Jan. 1, a prosecuting attorney said Tuesday.

Miles

Centers

        She knew that her boyfriend, Kevin Charles Miles, had a bad temper and had smacked little Courtney the day before, prosecuting attorney Craig Hedric said in his opening statement at Ms. Centers' felony trial in Butler County Common Pleas Court. She is charged with permitting child abuse in connection with her daughter's death.

        “She knew what he was capable of and still allowed him to care for her children,” Mr. Hedric said.

        But defense attorney Scott Blauvelt told the jury that Ms. Centers, 20, of Middletown, was a caring mother who had no reason to suspect her boyfriend might beat Courtney to death.

        Courtney died from internal bleeding caused by a 2-inch laceration in her liver. She had 43 bruises on her body, all inflicted within 24 to 48 hours before her death, Mr. Hedric said.

        Mr. Miles, 27, of Woodlawn, is charged with murder and felony child endangering. He has a May 6 trial date.

        The day before Courtney's death, Ms. Centers heard a loud smack in another room in her house, Mr. Hedric said. Mr. Miles had just struck Courtney, the prosecutor said.

        But Mr. Blauvelt said in his opening statement that Ms. Centers didn't know what had happened.

Courtney

        Jennifer Adkins, Ms. Centers' friend, testified that on Jan. 1, Ms. Centers had wanted her to baby-sit Courtney while her boyfriend took her to the convenience store.

        Ms. Adkins said she wound up taking Ms. Centers to the store, leaving Mr. Miles with Courtney and Emily, Ms. Centers' other daughter.

        Later that afternoon, Ms. Adkins said, Ms. Centers called her and asked her to come over to look at Courtney, who was lying in bed.

        After noticing that Courtney wasn't breathing right and appeared limp, Ms. Adkins called 911.

        She said while waiting for the ambulance to come, Ms. Centers held Courtney in a rocking chair and kept saying, “My baby, my baby.”

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