Counsel Reassess Plea of Woman Charged in Son’s Murder

By Andrew Michaels , Noa Gelb [former] - December 1, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

Counsel is currently reassessing the plea offer for a woman charged with her son’s death in July 2019.

Shateka Lawson, 43, and her partner, 28-year-old Alicia Lawson, are accused of their 4-year-old son’s death after he suffered from severe burns for nine days without any treatment in fear of child protective services getting involved.

Alicia, the boy’s biological mother, later accepted a guilty plea of life, suspending all but 30 years, and five years of supervised probation for first-degree child abuse resulting in death. Shateka was offered the same plea, which she rejected.

On Nov. 30, the prosecution and defense attorney Roya Hanna argued about the recurring postponement of Shateka’s case, having been postponed ten times due to the prosecutor’s busy schedule. Hanna told Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn that it was “ridiculous” that her client has been incarcerated since 2019, considering Shateka is a first-time offender.

After a private discussion between counsel, the prosecutor and Hanna agreed to review Shateka’s plea offer and contact the court if a resolution is reached.

Shateka’s trial is currently scheduled to begin on May 2, 2023, before Judge Althea Handy