Woman Accused of Killing Baby Still Waits For Competency Evaluation

By Caroline Myers [former] - October 27, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

A woman who is accused of killing her own baby has been waiting for a mental health competency evaluation for over one month.

Shakira Shaw, 24, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse resulting in death for the 2019 death of her 1-year-old child, Kaleb Shaw.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Kaleb was found unresponsive in their home on Dec. 28, 2019, by medics. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital where he died. An autopsy performed concluded that he died from natural causes.

In August 2020, Shaw called Baltimore County police to ask, “How long someone would go to jail for admitting they did something to their deceased child?” according to the charging documents.

Shakira then allegedly confessed to the officers about hearing voices of two babies telling her to kill Kaleb.

In mental health court on Oct. 27, a colleague standing in for Shaw’s defense attorney, Stephanie Salter, expressed their frustration that an extended mental health evaluation had been ordered 35 days ago but had not happened yet.

It is taking this long due to a lack of female beds at the mental health facility, and it was expressed on Wednesday that this is a common issue, according to Judge Gale Rasin and counsel.

Shaw will return to mental health court next week, and at the request of counsel, an employee of the Maryland Department of Health will appear to address the issue on the record.