Highlights
Cleveland Father Who Says Infant Son Accidentally Choked to Death on Baby Wipe Gets Life in Prison
Source: https://www.msn.com/
Traveon Hughes Sr., 20, was sentenced to life in prison by Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge William McGinty after a jury found him guilty of murdering his infant son by stuffing a baby wipe down his throat.
Key Highlight:
- Hughes’ attorney, W. Scott Ramsey, emphasized Hughes’ innocence, stating he did not recklessly or purposely shove a baby wipe down his son’s throat, and announced plans to appeal his convictions of murder, involuntary manslaughter, and endangering children.
- Sandra Norwood, Hughes’ mother, vowed to fight her son’s conviction, asserting that justice will prevail in Ohio. Acieiona McEwen, the mother of the deceased infant, also maintained Hughes’ innocence, stating that “God gets the last word.”
- Traveon Jr. choked in their Cleveland home two days after the family moved from Chicago. Hughes, then 18, was with the baby while McEwen was at work.
- The defense argued that Hughes placed a wipe on the baby’s chest, but left the room briefly to attend to personal injuries sustained in a previous incident. The baby was alive when paramedics arrived but died in the hospital after doctors found the wipe lodged in his throat.
- McEwen and Norwood criticized medical professionals for mishandling the baby’s treatment and expressed dismay over not being allowed to collect the boy’s body, learning only recently that he had been cremated.
- The sentence includes the possibility of parole after 15 years. Hughes received the verdict silently with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Image Source: https://www.msn.com/