A stepmother pleaded guilty after officials say she fatally burned her 4-year-old stepson during a bath and then got rid of his body with her partner, reports People. The woman pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death. CBS News reports that Shatika Lawson is set to be sentenced on Dec. 6 in connection to the death of Malachi Lawson. Back in 2021, the child’s biological mother, Alicia Lawson, also pleaded guilty to the same charges. Currently, she’s serving life in prison with 30 years suspended for the murder of the boy, which occurred back in 2019.
Malachi was discovered in a dumpster, which was a day after Alicia reported that he was missing. First, she informed officials that the last time she saw him was on his grandmother’s porch; however, she later confessed that his body was discarded 10 miles away from their residence, according to PEOPLE.
The Baltimore Sun and ABCNews reported based on charging documents, on July 23, 2019, Shatika and Alicia bathed the boy after
“he soiled himself.”
As they cleaned his clothes in the sink, they turned around and realized Malachi had severe burns from his waist down. Reports added that the burns were so serious that they noticed skin floating in the bathwater. However, they didn’t call first responders. According to charging documents, the women were scared
“that the child would be taken from them, that they would get in trouble for what happened to the child and their history with child protective services.”
The women decided to treat the boy, which they did for the next nine days. Alicia revealed that on Aug. 1 she woke up and discovered her son had died. She wrapped him in a blanket and called a Lyfy to drive her to a dumpster 10 miles away from her house. Reports added that Shatika faces up to life behind bars.
