Prosecutors claim that the five-year-old kid who shot and killed his 16-month-old sibling earlier this year was under the influence of cocaine while the infant who died had a positive marijuana test.
On March 28, the five-year-old shot his younger sibling in the head. The five-year-old was given a drug test by officers, and the results were positive for cocaine, according to the prosecution.
The toddler was found to have marijuana in his system at the time of the murder, according to an autopsy.
Prosecutors unveiled charges against the parents of the children, Deonta Johnson, 27, and Shatia Welch, 24, of Lafayette, Indiana, in connection with the shooting, which led to the announcement. Three counts of child maltreatment and numerous drug-related allegations have been brought against the couple.
Police claim they discovered marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and 93 fentanyl tablets within the five-year-old boy’s reach after the child passed away. They also discovered marijuana and a grinder in Johnson’s car, which led them to believe that he had attempted to conceal marijuana.
Johnson, the 16-month-old’s father but not the five-year-old’s, is also facing charges of obstructing justice for attempting to clean out the apartment of drugs prior to the arrival of the police. At the time of the shooting, Johnson was the only other person present.
“Johnson then claimed he woke up on the couch, saw [Welch’s 5-year-old son] on the couch, heard a boom, took the marijuana to the car, went to Victim 1’s bedroom and found Victim 1 dead and called Welch,” according to the prosecutor’s probable cause affidavit.
When questioned by investigators, Johnson allegedly altered his account many times.
According to reports, he constantly denied having a gun and that the victim had been shot. He allegedly then confessed that Welch, the mother of the kids, possessed the gun that her elder son had used to shoot his younger sibling in the head.
According to prosecutors, Welch said that she always kept her gun in a secured box under her bed, but Welch also said she couldn’t recall if the safe had been locked when she put the pistol away that weekend. In the couple’s bedroom, police discovered the gun on a dresser.
Welch added to the police report by saying that her elder child wasn’t even permitted to play with or construct toy guns and wasn’t even aware of the gun. But she admitted to authorities that he did occasionally play in the area where the safe was kept—under her bed.
The pair was taken into custody on Monday in LaPorte, which is roughly 90 miles north of LaFayette. On Tuesday afternoon, they were extradited to LaFayette.
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