Father of infant pleads guilty in abuse case, a year after mother was jailed for troopers’ deaths

A Montgomery County toddler, already growing up without his mother — now serving up to six decades for the vehicular homicide of two state police troopers — was thrust into deeper tragedy this week when his Perkiomen Township father admitted in court to violently fracturing the boy’s skull, arms and legs when he was just two months old.

Tahir Marcel Riley’s guilty plea on Friday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court marked a grim chapter in a case that has left the young child at the heart of an unimaginable family crisis. With his mother incarcerated and his father now facing sentencing of up to four years for abuse, the boy is left without either parent — his early life shaped by two separate acts of devastating harm.

Riley, 28, of Concord Road, pleaded guilty to felony counts of aggravated assault of a child and endangering the welfare of a child. The father, who showed no visible emotion in court, remains free on bail with the condition that he has no contact with the child.

According to The Mercury, during the court proceedings, Riley admitted that he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly caused the injuries, which also included extensive bruising to the child’s face and torso. He abused the infant in April 2024 – less than a month after the child’s mother, Jayana Tanae Webb, 25, was sentenced for a DUI crash that killed two Pennsylvania State Police troopers and a civilian.

Riley's plea was part of a charge agreement with prosecutors that includes a sentencing cap of two to four years in state prison, according to the report. Common Pleas Judge Steven T. O’Neill accepted the plea and ordered Riley to undergo a mental health evaluation prior to sentencing, according to The Mercury.

The abuse came to light after medical professionals raised concerns during a pediatric visit on April 19, 2024. The baby had appeared healthy just four days earlier during a routine checkup.

But when Riley brought him back to Pediatric Medical Associates in East Norriton Township, the child had visible head swelling and facial bruising. A subsequent evaluation at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia confirmed the injuries were consistent with physical abuse, authorities said.

Riley gave inconsistent accounts of the events leading up to the child’s injuries, at one point citing stress, lack of sleep, and frustration. Investigators ultimately concluded that the trauma occurred while the child was solely in Riley’s care overnight on April 18, 2024.

Following his arrest, Riley was initially held on $1 million cash bail. That amount was later reduced to $100,000 unsecured, and he was released with electronic monitoring, according to court records.

“We asked the judge to release him from prison. He is not a flight risk or a present danger to the community,” said Allentown defense attorney Benjamin Cooper in October 2024. “He has a lot of family support, employer support, and church support.”

Prosecutors said Friday that the child, now more than a year old, is recovering well under the care of his maternal grandmother.

“At this point, he seems to be developing well,” First Assistant District Attorney Edward F. McCann Jr. said in court, according to The Mercury. “Obviously, with a head injury, you never know right away. It’s going to take years before the determination and conclusion is definitive that there’s no long-term damage.”

The case has drawn wider public attention because of the boy’s family background. Webb is currently serving a sentence of 27½ to 60 years in prison for a crash that occurred on March 21, 2022, on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia.

Webb was convicted of third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle, and DUI after driving drunk and fatally striking state troopers Branden T. Sisca and Martin F. Mack III, as well as pedestrian Reyes Rivera Oliveras.

Sisca, 29, was the fire chief of Trappe Fire Company and a graduate of Perkiomen Valley High School and West Chester University. Mack, 33, of Bristol, was a Monsignor Bonner High School and Albright College alumnus. Both were members of Troop K in Philadelphia.

Webb, who was seven months pregnant at the time of her November 2023 sentencing, was allowed to remain free until she gave birth. She surrendered to begin her prison term in March 2024.

Sisca's wife filed a civil lawsuit against Webb, the maternal grandmother, and Vibe Hookah Lounge in Philadelphia last year.

A sentencing date for Riley has not yet been set.