3YO Boy Died In Gandmother's Care, Why Is His Mother Charged In His Death?

[Sugar Cookie]

Was a mother responsible for the death of her 3-year-old son, even if the boy was in someone else's care when he died?

That's the question sitting at the center of the charges facing Angel Campbell, accused of child endangering and involuntary manslaughter in connection with her son, Amari's death. The boy died in a West End apartment fire last month.

"They're alleging the mother violated a duty of care," said Brad Groene, a Cincinnati-based child endangerment defense attorney.

Groene is not representing Angel in the case but spoke with WCPO as an expert on the types of charges she's facing.

According to fire investigators, Angel had left Amari in the care of his grandmother on Feb. 22. Later, the boy was playing with a lighter when he lit a stick of incense and set it on the couch -- causing the fire that would eventually take his life.

Hamilton County prosecutors told WCPO the boy's grandmother wasn't equipped to care for him but would not specify in what way. That could be why, Groene said, Angel was charged with his death.

"It's one thing to leave them with the grandparent," Groene said. "But does the grandparent have a mental disability where they don't know what's going on? Can the grandparent physically move? Let's say the child runs around, can the grandparent take care of the child?"

Groene said Ohio law stipulates a parent must ensure a caregiver's ability to look after the child before leaving them under their supervision.

"You have a duty to make sure that grandma and grandpa are able to look after that child, physically able to keep that child safe," he said. "The duty is on the parent to see that."

Three-year-old boy died in grandmother's care. Why is his mother charged in his death?

According to fire investigators, Angel Campbell had left her son in the care of his grandmother when the boy started a fire that would later take his life. Now Angel's charged with his death.

www.wcpo.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

 

[RavagesTheCabbages]

The grandmother is wheelchair bound

 

[Sejanus]

Mom can totally be on the hook and should be.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Family members of a woman indicted in the death of her son during a fire earlier this year say they don’t understand why she’s being punished.

Amari Campbell, 3, died at the end of February after a fire broke out in the West End apartment where his mother had left him in the care of his wheelchair-bound grandmother.

Firefighters said they thought the child was lighting incense when a couch caught on fire. They found him hiding under a bed and pulled him from the apartment. Neighbors rescued his grandmother.

A grand jury indicted 24-year-old Angela Campbell, the boy’s mother, on March 29 on charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangering. The prosecutor’s office said Angela should have known her mother could not sufficiently care for the boy.


Angela’s aunt, Donna Campbell says Angela is a single mother who was working to provide for her son and that Angela’s mother was perfectly capable of taking care of Amari.

“It’s very painful for a mother to lose her child, and now for the mother to lose her freedom in the middle of a pandemic... No schools are open. No preschool. There’s no child care available. Where is she supposed to take her child? She needs to work and care for her family,” Donna said. “Wouldn’t you take your child to your parent?”

Donna calls the charges an injustice.

“It’s just a tragedy, a tragedy of justice to have a 24-year-old mother grieving like this.”

Angela remains at the Hamilton County Justice Center. A judge set her bond at $500,000.

“She went to work like any single parent would,” said Laqueda Campbell, another of Angela’s cousins. “Being a single parent is already hard. Being a young mom is already hard. Being a mom of a toddler is already hard. And to think, to just go to work and leave my kid with my mom and something tragic happens, and now I’m being punished... It makes no sense.”

“He loved his grandma,” Laqueda said of Amari. “She took care of everyone. It makes no sense. We don’t understand what’s going on or how we got here. Could you imagine your support system supporting you and then you getting in trouble for it?”

‘It makes no sense:’ Family calls charges against mother in 3-year-old’s death an injustice

Amari Campbell died after a West End apartment fire in February.

www.wbtv.com

 

[runninfawn]

My husband was wheel in a wheel chair (motorized) and yes he did everything from laundry, vacuuming, etc while i was working and yes he was very able to take care of a child on his own and he did with our grandkids. As for this grandma unless she was quadraplegic, or heavely medicated i don't see a reason why she couldn't take care of a 3 year old. From the article i gathered that she was living by herself so therefor able to take care of her own needs so no dementia that would make her forget to look after the child. It doesn't tell what time the incident happened but yes i can see grandma putting the child for a nap and falling asleep herself (in her chair) while watching t.v. (watching a 3 year old is exhausting) didn't hear the child get up and yes panic when she woke up to the smell of smoke, forgetting for the moment she was watching her grandchild as it wasn't something she always did and i say that because if she did her neighbours for sure would have known and also look for the child. If i remember right most 3 years old when they did something wrong would think of going to hide so they wouldn't be in trouble. So i guess it is a wait and see the reasons why grandma shouldn't have been able to look after the child.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Unless the grandmother also had a mental defect or the child had some serious behavioral issue the mother should not be charged.