Washington, D.C. – A 34-year-old woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for violently throwing her three-month-old son onto the pavement during a domestic dispute with the child’s father, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced Friday.
Shanta Watson pleaded guilty in November 2024 to first-degree cruelty to children, a felony charge that reflects the severity of the incident and its traumatic impact on the infant.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on September 5, 2024, after Watson got into an argument with her former romantic partner outside her apartment. As the father began walking away, Watson followed him outside while holding their baby in her arms.
When she reached the parking lot, Watson shouted at the man before deliberately throwing the infant onto the pavement, prosecutors said.
Surveillance footage captured the shocking moment Watson tossed the baby, then casually picked him up and began walking back inside.
Emergency services responded immediately and transported the child to the hospital. Doctors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) treated him for life-threatening injuries, including:
Multiple skull fractures
Brain bleeding
Swelling to the back of the head
Elevated liver enzymes — indicators of non-accidental trauma
“This case represents an appalling breach of a parent’s duty to protect,” said a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “The defendant’s actions inflicted serious harm on her defenseless child.”
The child survived but remains under ongoing medical supervision. Watson, who is the infant’s biological mother, will also face court-ordered supervision following her release from prison.
