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Baltimore mom gets 30 years after death of son scalded in bath
Listen to this articleBALTIMORE — A Baltimore judge sentenced a woman to serve 30 years of a life sentence on Monday for the death of her 4-year-old son, whom she scalded in a bath and later dumped in the trash.
Alicia Lawson, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse resulting in death and the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office announced she was sentenced Monday to life in prison with all but 30 years suspended, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Malachi Lawson was burned during a bath in July 2019, but neither Alicia Lawson, nor her wife, Shatika Lawson, 42, took him to get medical treatment, fearing he would be taken away from them.
They tried to treat his burns at home, but nine days later, Alicia Lawson found him unconscious. The couple reported the boy missing. But Alicia Lawson had put him in a trash bag and placed him in a dumpster, police wrote in charging documents.
A trial for Shatika Lawson is scheduled for February. She’s charged with eight counts, including child abuse, neglect and second-degree murder. A defense attorney argued that Shatika Lawson did not know the boy had died and that her spouse had dumped his body.
