Trial Date Set For Mother Charged in the Death of Her 1-Year-Old

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Baltimore City Circut Court Judge Melissa Phinn set a trial date for a mother charged in the murder of her baby on Sept. 8 after she was found competent to stand trial.

Shakira Shaw is charged with first-degree murder as well as first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a child younger than 13 years old in connection to the death of her one-year-old son, Kaleb Shaw, in 2019.

Kaleb Shawn was found unresponsive in his home on Dec. 28, 2019, and declared deceased at John Hopkins Hospital. An autopsy concluded that he died of natural causes.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Shaw, 24, called the police on Oct. 8, 2020, and admitted to killing her child, saying voices told her to do it.

In June, the department of social services motioned to unseal Shaw’s records after the case had been in mental court since October 2020. She was initially found incompetent to stand trial, but on Nov. 17, 2021, Shaw was deemed competent.

During Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors offered Shaw a plea of life, suspending all but five years with fire years probation for first-degree murder, but Shaw rejected the offer.

Shaw’s trial date was set for March 15, 2023, and is expected to last seven days before Baltimore Circuit Court City Judge Althea M. Handy. Shaw will be represented by defense attorneys Felicia Ciesla and Stephanie Salter.