A Georgia man, aged 24, has been sentenced to three decades in prison for the severe beating of his two young children, a two-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. The man, Dillan Michael Tennant, was convicted on two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree and received a 30-year prison term, with the first half to be served without the possibility of parole.
During the trial, evidence presented by prosecutors revealed that Tennant physically abused his children by repeatedly beating them, resulting in horrific bruising on the toddlers. The incident took place in March 2023 at a home in Rossville, Georgia, where Tennant resided with his parents and brother.
Tennant's violent outburst was triggered when he discovered that the children had made a mess in their bedroom while he was supposed to be supervising them. Over the course of two days, Tennant struck the children multiple times, even using a board to hit his two-year-old son.
After the abuse, Tennant took his children to a friend's house in an attempt to conceal the injuries he had inflicted. Upon their return home, the children's grandparents and uncle noticed the bruising and promptly alerted law enforcement.
Despite initially denying the accusations and attributing the injuries to another family member, Tennant failed to seek medical attention for his children, whose injuries were described as some of the worst seen by witnesses from the Department of Family and Children's Services.
A doctor from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the injuries were non-accidental and resulted from repeated strikes with significant force. As part of his sentence, Tennant is prohibited from unsupervised contact with his children and any minors under the age of 18.
District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller emphasized the commitment to aggressively prosecute child abuse cases, praising the prosecution team and law enforcement for their efforts in this case. Tennant will now serve his sentence in the Department of Corrections, where he will have ample time to reflect on his actions.
