Children – Page 5 – Headline Smart

Teen Cheerleader’s Death Blamed on Popular Energy Drink

The suit names two Glazer’s distributors, not the brand’s owner, and seeks more than $1 million. WESLACO, Texas — The parents of a 17-year-old South Texas cheerleader filed a wrongful death lawsuit this week accusing a local beverage distributor of supplying Alani Nu energy drinks that they say contributed to their daughter’s fatal cardiac collapse in October. The filing turns a private loss into a closely watched court fight over caffeine warnings, youth marketing and …

4-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Disturbing Delay in 911 Call

Police say a coroner estimated the child had been dead for more than 24 hours before officers arrived at the Pratt Court home. WAYNESBORO, Pa. — A Waynesboro woman was charged with felony child endangerment after police said her 4-year-old son was found dead in their Pratt Court home Tuesday and a coroner told investigators the child appeared to have been dead for more than 24 hours. The case is still in its early stages, …

6 Children Left Overnight in Storage Unit as Dad Slept Nearby

The sentence followed a January conviction tied to the overnight confinement of six children, including a 2-month-old infant. MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Charles Dupriest to five years in prison and five years of extended supervision after jurors found he locked his six children overnight in a storage unit while he slept outside in an SUV. The sentence closes the criminal trial phase of a case that drew wide attention because the …

FedEx Driver Admits Killing 7-Year-Old After Barbie Delivery

Jurors in Fort Worth must now choose between a death sentence and life without parole for Tanner Horner. FORT WORTH, Texas — Tanner Horner pleaded guilty Tuesday to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the 2022 abduction and killing of 7-year-old Athena Strand, sending the Fort Worth trial straight to a penalty phase that will determine whether he is executed or sent to prison for life. The plea ended any question over who killed Athena, …

Chemistry Teacher Charged in Alleged Sex Case With Student

Prosecutors say Jason D. Howe, 26, had sexual intercourse with a student at his Runnemede apartment in March and was arrested April 3. SOMERDALE, N.J. — New Jersey authorities have charged a Sterling High School chemistry teacher and coach with sexual assault after investigators said he had sexual intercourse with a student at his Runnemede apartment in March, setting off a criminal case that has shaken a South Jersey school community. The case has drawn …

Student Accused of Watching Newborn Drown in Toilet

Investigators say phone evidence and court testimony deepened the case against Anne Mae Demegillo, who is scheduled to be arraigned April 21. BUNNELL, Fla. — A Flagler County grand jury has indicted Anne Mae Demegillo, a 20-year-old Palm Coast woman, on first-degree murder and two other charges after investigators said she gave birth at home in March and let her newborn drown in a toilet. The indictment raises the stakes in a case that began …

13-Year-Old Kills Teen After School Track Meet

Police say another boy was wounded as families and athletes were leaving a 20-school meet at a Ferguson campus. FERGUSON, Mo. — A 13-year-old boy has been charged in juvenile court after prosecutors said gunfire erupted at the end of a school track meet in Ferguson on March 31, killing 13-year-old LaJuan Swopes and wounding another boy in a crowded parking lot. The shooting turned a routine school event into a homicide case involving children …

3-Year-Old Mauled by Coyote as Parents Unload Car

Officials said the child is recovering after the bite, and wildlife officers later tied one coyote to multiple attacks in and around Carson. CARSON, Calif. — A 3-year-old boy is recovering after a coyote bit him twice in a Carson parking lot, an attack that alarmed his family and quickly became part of a broader wildlife investigation spanning several recent cases in the same area. The attack mattered beyond one frightening moment because state wildlife …

Parents Kept Starved 13-Year-Old Locked in Dog Kennel

Prosecutors say six children were removed after a February report, including a 13-year-old allegedly confined in a dog kennel. RALEIGH, N.C. — A Wake County couple is being held without bond after prosecutors said six children were removed from a southern Wake County home where one 13-year-old was allegedly kept in a dog kennel and found in what court records described as life-threatening condition. The case has drawn attention in central North Carolina because of …

Boy, 6, Fatally Shot After Father Nods Off

Police said Steven Lamont Phillips fell asleep after playing with the boy, then woke to a gunshot inside the family home on Qualynn Drive. NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Nashville man is charged with criminal homicide after police said his 6-year-old son suffered a gunshot wound to the head on March 28 inside a home where the father had fallen asleep with a .380 pistol in his pocket. The case quickly widened beyond a single state …