HOUMA, La. (AP) - A Houma woman accused of violently shaking her infant son in March will stand trial on Aug. 18.
The Courier reports (https://bit.ly/Rn4H7a ) Tina Simpson, 19, faces on one count of attempted second-degree murder.
Authorities say the now nearly 3-month-old boy is still in critical condition following the attack.
Simpson, who is being held in the Terrebonne Parish jail on a $500,000 bond, faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted.
Authorities say Simpson allegedly shook her son, Jeremiah, and threw him against his bassinet while at his father’s home on March 18.
At the time of her arrest, police say Simpson told officers that she attacked the child due to his incessant crying.
Jeremiah was transported unconscious and barely breathing to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans after initially being treated at Terrebonne General Medical Center. He suffers from severe skull fractures and extensive bleeding as a result of the attack, Terrebonne sheriff’s Maj. Malcolm Wolfe said.
“There have been no changes in his condition,” Wolfe said.
Attempts to take him off of life-support to see if he can function on his own have been unsuccessful, Wolfe said.
The boy’s legal custody has been taken from his mother and granted to the state. The state will decide if the boy is taken off life support, Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services officials said.
If Jeremiah dies from his sustained injuries or from being taken off life support, Simpson’s charges would be upgraded to second-degree murder, Wolfe said.
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Information from: The Courier, https://www.houmatoday.com
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