First-degree murder charges have been leveled against teen parents who allowed their infant to suffocate while they were reportedly high on drugs.
The parents, Austin Adams, 19, and Savanah Adams, 19, are both charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child neglect. They could face life in prison if they are convicted.
The parents were named in sealed indictments returned by the grand jury in the death of their 1-month-old daughter, Anessa Adams. The child was found not breathing at their apartment last month on May 10.
It was learned the baby had slipped between cushions of a section sofa on which the two were sleeping. The baby was rushed from their apartment to River Park Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The results of the autopsy are pending.
The murder charges were sought against the couple because it is believed they were under the influence of drugs when their daughter slipped between couch cushions and suffocated.
They are being held under $300,000 bond.
The father in this case, Austin Adams, made headlines six years ago, at age 13, when he and his older brother were convicted of assaulting an 8-year-old boy at their school bus stop. Authorities say Adams hit the boy repeatedly with a shovel and forced dog feces into the child’s mouth before tying him up and dragging him around.
The child had to be hospitalized while Adams escaped serious punishment and was placed on the community corrections program for his crime. Adams’ older brother, who was 18 at the time of the attack, ended up serving nine months in jail for his part in the assault.