LYNCHBURG, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina woman faces charges of voluntary manslaughter after police say she intentionally killed her 13-year-old child.
According to the State Law Enforcement Division, Sharma Ladile Harris, 37, in June 2020 disconnected a medical ventilator that was needed to help her child breathe. Investigators determined the machine was offline for 10 hours.
Harris, who lives in Sumter County, east of Columbia, was arrested Thursday, multiple news agencies reported. She was processed at the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center. It was unknown if she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
It took agents nearly a year to convince a grand jury to hand up an indictment. However, based on their investigation, medical records and expert medical opinion — the panel believed there was enough evidence to prove Harris did intentionally kill her child, the SLED said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.