CLEVELAND — *Editor's Note: The video in the player above originally aired on September 17, 2019.
A 27-year-old Cleveland mother was sentenced to prison Thursday for attempting to murder her six-year-old son.
In August 2019, Dazshea Watkins, recorded herself attempting to drown her son in the bathtub of their home near Kinsman Road and East 70th Street. Angry at her child's father, she sent him the video of the incident, which showed Watkins holding the boy under water by his neck and yelling obscenities as he struggled and gasped for air. Watkins later took her soon to a bedroom and tried to suffocate him with a pillow.
The child's aunt arrived at the home, finding him alive, and took him into custody.
The next day, the Cuyahoga County Department of Child and Family Services reported the incident to police and Watkins admitted to the crime. Following an investigation, a warrant was issued and she was taken into custody on September 4, 2019.
“This mother committed unspeakable crimes against her own child,” said Prosecutor O’Malley. “She has earned every day of her sentence.”
Watkins pleaded guilty to a slew a charges including:
- Attempted Murder
- Kidnapping
- Two counts of Endangering Children
- Domestic Violence
- Felonious Assault
- Pandering Obscenity Involving A Minor
Watkins was sentenced to 14 to 16-and-a-half years under the "Reagan Tokes Law," which implements an indefinite sentencing system for non-life felonies in which the judge imposes both a minimum term and a maximum term.
After 14 years, officials will review Watkin's case and behavior and determine if she should be released.