Sentenced: Shirley Matthews' Baby Weighed 6 Pounds At Birth But Weighed Only 4 Pounds At Death

[Sugar Cookie]

September 19, 2018
ELMORE COUNTY, AL (WSFA) - Chris and Shirley Matthews are charged with aggravated child abuse following the death of their infant son.

Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said the couple took their 2-month-old baby to Elmore County Hospital Sunday night and called 911 en route to request an escort. The doctors were unable to resuscitate the infant, and he was pronounced dead.

Due to Alabama law, the baby was taken for an autopsy and the Department of Forensic Sciences determined neglect was the cause of death.

Franklin said the baby weighed 6 pounds at birth but weighed only 4 pounds at the hospital. The child had no physical injuries. The ECSO is now investigating what led to the fatal case of neglect.

http://www.wsfa.com/2018/09/19/couple-arrested-after-infant-dies-neglect/

 

[Keepalowprofile]

Damn.

 

[lithiumgirl]

Wow ... they starved the poor kid !

It's was probably some stupid ... you feed the baby ... no you feed the baby, fight and then they made up and smoked crack instead!

 

[Satanica]

And yet again someone who clearly could care less about their infant doesn't take it to a safe haven before they kill him.

 

[Satanica]

Someone should write into the law that in the case the penalty is at least double what it would've been.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The State of Alabama has found Shirley Matthews, a woman arrested back in 2018 on charges of Aggravated Child Abuse, guilty.

Matthews guilty verdict stems from the death of her two-month old son who died in her custody. According to medical examiners, the autopsy revealed her son died from malnourishment. Investigators say Matthews never took her son to the doctor after being released from the hospital. And while she claims she fed the child in hopes he would gain weight, the autopsy revealed that his malnourished physical condition caused his death.

Elmore County mother found guilty in death of newborn child

The State of Alabama has found Shirley Matthews, a woman arrested back in 2018 on charges of Aggravated Child Abuse, guilty.Matthews guilty verdict stems from t

abc3340.com

 

[thuumpr]

View attachment 181921
Shirley Matthews

Offense: Child Abuse

Total Term: 20 Years

Min Release Date: 09/20/2044

Parole Consideration Date: 06/01/2031

Unlike the baby, Shirley has gained a few.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Shirley Matthews

Offense: Child Abuse

Total Term: 20 Years

Min Release Date: 09/20/2044

Parole Consideration Date: 06/01/2031

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A jury in Elmore County has convicted a man in the 2018 death of his son, according to District Attorney CJ Robinson.

Kristopher Matthews, 40, was found guilty of aggravated child abuse. DA Robinson said the jury found that Matthews caused the death of his 2-month-old son, Karson Matthews.

Karson was born in July 2018, weighing 6 pounds and 2 ounces. In September of that year, he was taken to Elmore Community Hospital weighing substantially less.

An autopsy determined Karson’s cause of death to be negligence and the manner of death to be homicide. Robinson said that in an interview with law enforcement, Kristopher Matthews admitted to having never taken Karson the doctor after being released from the hospital after his birth, and he claimed he never personally fed his child.

“The photos in this case are worse than you would expect to see in a horror movie. This withered child’s body was nothing but a dirty, skin-covered skeleton. A haunting image that no one who sees it will ever forget. Kristopher and Shirley Matthews completely destroyed the life of their baby boy by neglecting his existence until he died. No question, this is one of the hardest cases we have ever had to prosecute. The suffering and agonizing death of this little boy of this was completely avoidable. Evil is real. Society can attempt to sugar coat evil in any variety of ways, but there is no excuse or justification I am willing to accept for starving an infant to death and refusing to seek medical treatment as they wither away. Just as fundamental human beings, we have to be better than that.”

Statement from 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney CJ Robinson

MSN

 

[Sugar Cookie]

wish they both would have gotten longer sentences.

An Alabama man has been sentenced to prison in connection with the death of his infant son.

Kristopher Matthews, 40, was sentenced to 20 years in the 2018 death of his son, 2-month-old Carson, 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney CJ Robinson announced Thursday.

Karson was born in 2018 weighing 6 pounds and 2 ounces. He died two months later weighing substantially less, Robinson said.

Matthews’ wife and Karson’s mother, Shirley Matthews, was convicted in July 2024 on the same charge. She was sentenced later that year to 20 years in state prison.

“The photos in this case were worse than you would expect to see in a horror movie,” Robinson said. “This withered child’s body was nothing but a dirty, skin-covered skeleton, a haunting image that no one who saw it will ever forget.”

“Kristopher and Shirley Matthews completely destroyed the life of their baby boy by neglecting his existence until he died,” Robinson said.

In an interview with law enforcement, Matthews admitted to having never taken Karson to the doctor after being released from the hospital after birth. He claimed he never personally fed his child and had no duty to do so since he was the father.

Alabama man sentenced after ‘withered,’ malnourished 2-month-old son dies of neglect

“This withered child’s body was nothing but a dirty, skin-covered skeleton, a haunting image that no one who saw it will ever forget.”

www.al.com

 

[Rebooto]

I don't understand why these people can live day in day out hearing that crying and wheezing of the starving child and be able to ignore it and continue to eat and drink like everything was okay. No heart no soul no brain. It would be a good thing putting them on a diet of nothing for months so they maybe could feel what they did. That's the only way I can imagine they would care about what they did.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

“This withered child’s body was nothing but a dirty, skin-covered skeleton, a haunting image that no one who saw it will ever forget.”

The should have food withheld from them for two months at any given time - that won't kill them.

They should also have all liquid withheld from them for two days every year on the anniversary of Carson's death - It won't kill them but hopefully it will slowly destroy their internal organs until they die from organ failure.