https://wtkr.com/2018/09/20/charges...charged-in-fatal-ocean-view-child-abuse-case/A mother and boyfriend, charged in the death of an 11-year-old disabled Norfolk girl, appeared in court Thursday to have their charges amended.
Heaven Watkins was found dead inside the family's apartment on May 18, 2018.
Her mother, 33-year-old Latoya Smith was charged with second degree murder and child abuse. 43-year-old Demont Harris, Smith's boyfriend, was charged with murder and aggravated malicious wounding.
News 3 has extensively followed the case. We learned Heaven has autism and cerebral palsy, but family said she was outgoing and outspoken, and she functioned as a normal child aside from a deformity in her hand.
After looking into the incident from February 26, the court presented evidence showing Harris put Heaven's hand under hot water until it burned her skin. The child was hospitalized here in Norfolk for six days and had to get a skin graft. For that incident the couple was recently also charged.
Tracey Vaughan, Harris' sister said she had made a child abuse allegation to police back in February, when Heaven was taken to CHKD with a serious burn to her hand. Vaughn said the family was living with her at the time and she is one who brought Heaven to the ER.
The medical examiner ruled the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and torso and said the manner of death was homicide.
The medical examiner's reports showed a head injury and brain bleeding, as well as abdominal injuries. The reports seem to suggest the child was hit so hard in the abdomen, that her abdomen split open a few days before she was found dead.
The medical examiner also reported 12 to 13 old rib fractures, as well as two to three new fractures that were sustained a few days before Heaven was found dead.
Smith allegedly admitted to “punishing “Heaven because she brought a toy into the bathtub. She also admitted to only feeding her bread and water a few days before she was found dead.
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