Tami Huntsman Pleads Guilty to Torture-Murder of Niece & Nephew, Gets Life

September 26, 2018
By: Mike McPadden

Redding Police Dept

Tami Huntsman

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Tami Joy Huntsman, 41, pleaded guilty to starving, torturing, and murdering two children left in her care in 2015 and then dumping their bodies in a storage unit.

The dead children — Delylah Tara, age three; and Shaun Tara, age six — were Huntsman’s niece and nephew. She had agreed to look after them while the kids’ dad (her brother) served jail time over a forest fire. The children’s mother had previously died in a car accident.

In addition, Huntsman and her boyfriend, Gonzalo Curiel, face charges over Delylah and Shaun’s “severely abused” nine-year-old sister, who police found weighing just 40 pounds and suffering from broken bones. The girl was also infested with lice.

Curiel, who was only 17 years old at the time, has pleaded not guilty on those counts of child abuse, torture, and mayhem.

Reportedly, Huntsman had forbidden the children to eat and exploded into a lethal storm of abuse after the nine-year-old girl “stole a bagel” — on Thanksgiving.

Redding Police Dept

Victims: Delylah Tara, Shaun Tara

Victims: Delylah Tara, Shaun Tara [Redding Police Dept]

In response, Huntsman beat Delylah and Shaun to death at her Salinas residence. She then transported the children’s remains 150 mile away to a storage facility in Redding.

After Delylah and Shaun were reported missing, investigators questioned Huntsman until she admitted what she had done and directed police to find the bodies.

Upon discovering the nine-year-old, Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood told the press:

“This has shaken my staff to the core. That little girl had been subjected to the most unspeakable measure of torture for an extended period of time. This is child abuse, the likes of which we haven’t experienced here.”

Redding Police Dept

Gonzalo Curiel

Gonzalo Curiel [Redding Police Dept]

As part of her plea deal, Huntsman received life in prison without the possibility of parole rather than risk the capital punishment by going to trial. Prosecutor Berkley Brannon, addressing the sentence, stated: “Justice was served … She will die in prison.”

In a horrific bit of irony, Tami Huntsman described her job on Facebook as “Being the best mom I can be.”

Huntsman’s estranged husband blames Gonzalo Curiel for his ex’s sickening turn, stating:

“Tami Huntsman was the perfect mother, the perfect housewife, the perfect person, up until the point she met that kid.”

Curiel’s trial is set to begin on April 2, 2018. Since he was a minor at the time of the crimes, he will not be eligible for the death penalty.

Watch Now:

Next Up

The Twists And Turns Of The Infamous Susan Smith Case

On October 25, 1994, the 23-year-old South Carolina mother drowned her two young children.

How The Abduction And Murder Of A 9-Year-Old Led To The AMBER Alert System

The AMBER alert system first debuted in 1996 as a collaboration between news media and police in Arlington, Texas. Named for Amber Hagerman, the alerts have helped find more than 1,000 abducted children.

Inside The 27-Year Investigation Of JonBenét Ramsey’s Murder

On Dec. 26, 1996, the pageant princess was found strangled to death in her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado.

5 Things You Need To Know About Susan Powell

In 2009, mother-of-two Susan Powell disappeared without a trace in West Valley City, Utah. Then in 2012, her husband Josh killed himself and their two sons after custody of the children was granted to Susan's parents.

Quebec Prisoner With 89 Convictions Charged In Young Girl’s 1994 Murder

Nearly 30 years after the body of 10-year-old Marie-Chantale Desjardins was found behind a shopping center, 61-year-old Réal Courtemanche has been charged with her murder.

5 Things to Know About The 1955 Murder Of Emmett Till

The Black teenager was murdered by two white men in Money, Mississippi, in August 1955 after a white woman accused him of making a pass at her in a grocery store.

Kidnapping Victim Helps Orchestrate Her Own Rescue By Holding Up Sign Saying 'Help Me'

A 13-year-old girl was rescued after holding up a sign from the window of Steven Robert Sablan’s car in a Long Beach, California parking lot.

Florida Woman Allegedly Murders Roommate, Pours Soda On Herself To Destroy Evidence

Nichole Maks, 35, allegedly murdered her 79-year-old roommate at the Daytona Beach home they shared and tried to cover up the evidence by pouring Diet Mountain Dew on herself.

Surveillance Video Helps Crack Case Of California Man Found ‘Thrown Out Like Trash’ In Barrel

Omar Medina suddenly vanished while in the process of moving out of his Chula Vista home.

Three Men Charged In Killing Of Hip-Hop Legend Jam Master Jay

The Run-DMC DJ was shot to death in a Queens recording studio in October 2002.