Richland County mother found guilty in choking death of her son

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A Richland County mother has been found guilty of Homicide by Child Abuse in the death of her son Thursday.

A jury heard testimony on Shakoya Darby, a woman accused of killing her son, Princeton Adams. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

On Christmas Day, 2018, first responders were called to Darby’s home. They found a neighbor performing CPR on the unresponsive 18-month-old Adams. EMS workers were able to resuscitate him and sent him to an area hospital.

Hospital staff found he had a broken leg, a broken wrist, and extensive brain damage. Adams needed to be on a ventilator and brain function never came back. He remained on life support until he died three years later.

Investigators said Darby provided different stories on how her son became injured. One version of events included an admission that her son had been struck by her boyfriend and didn’t call 911 for over four hours. Investigators said Darby also admitted to choking her son for over two minutes.

An autopsy found Princeton had died after being choked and suffering blood and oxygen deprivation. Medical experts testified his greatest chance for recovery would’ve been immediately after being injured.

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