Mom threw 3-month-old on pavement after fight with his dad in DC, officials say
A mother accused of deliberately throwing her 3-month-old on the pavement, causing skull fractures and brain bleeding, is heading to prison, according to officials in Washington, D.C.
Shanta Watson, 34, from the district, was sentenced to five years behind bars after pleading guilty in superior court to first-degree cruelty to children, U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said in an April 11 news release.
McClatchy News reached out to Watson’s attorney on April 14 and is awaiting a response.
Watson had a fight with the infant’s father on Sept. 5, 2024, officials said. She followed him after he left her apartment, and “when she got to the end of the sidewalk, to the parking lot, Watson yelled at (the father) and intentionally threw her infant son onto the pavement,” according to officials.
The baby boy was hospitalized with “multiple skull fractures, multiple points of bleeding in the brain, swelling to the back of his head, and elevated liver enzymes,” officials said.
An update on his current condition wasn’t immediately available from officials, who described him as a “miracle baby” for surviving the throw.
In a police interview, Watson denied injuring the child, an affidavit said. But security video from the apartment showed her throwing him, officials said.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Mom threw 3-month-old on pavement after fight with his dad in DC, officials say."
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