A Porter Ranch mother has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her three-month-old baby, authorities said Friday.
Jalyn Simone SmithJermott, 21, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree assault, according to the LA County District Attorney’s Office. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday and faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.
Authorities said the baby was found not breathing in his bassinet on September 10 and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Eric Shannon Johnson, 35, who authorities say is the child’s father, has also been charged with one count of child abuse. He pleaded not guilty on Monday and will appear in court next Thursday. If convicted as charged, he faces up to six years in prison.
“Children, especially children, rely on their parents and loved ones to take care of them and raise them. It is a big betrayal if that trust is destroyed,” Dist. He said. George Gascón said in a statement.
During Johnson’s arraignment Monday, prosecutors said the child suffered burns and a 4-centimeter fracture to her head in August — which caused blood to pool between the skull and the surface of the brain, ABC7 reported. Prosecutors allege that Johnson failed to seek medical attention for the child out of fear of abuse from the Department of Children and Families, according to the station.
The case is being prosecuted by the district attorney in the Family Violence Division’s Complex Child Abuse Section and is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
“I want to assure the public that we will fully prosecute these lawbreakers,” said Gascón. “We owe it to the victim and to all children who deserve a safe and loving environment.”
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