JEZAIH KING - 3 yo (2009) - Fort Wayne IN

Update: Fort Wayne police search for missing toddler

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Fort Wayne police say they've located a woman and her ten year old daughter, who've been missing for months. There's still no sign of the woman's son, who might be in extreme danger.
According to police spokesperson Michael Joyner, Lathisha Lawson, 31, and her daughter Kierra King, 10, had not been seen since September or October. Relatives reported them and Lawson's 3 year old son Jezaih King missing Monday afternoon. Joyner could not say why family members waited so long to make the report.
An individual took Lawson and her daughter to the Fort Wayne Police Department early Tuesday morning, after seeing a local news program reporting them missing.
Joyner said police have reason to believe Lawson's son, Jezaih, may have met foul play. He's been missing the longest, for as much as ten months. Investigators are interviewing Lawson, to determine where he is.
Anyone with information is asked to call Fort Wayne police at (260) 427-1222.

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/fort-wayne-police-look-for-missing-toddler-family

Investigators are working to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of three local family members.
But there's a more immediate problem: finding a missing child. Officials say 3 year old
Jezaih King has not been seen for 10 months or more. He was only just
reported missing for the first time Monday by concerned family members.
FWPD spokesman Mike Joyner released details late last night, saying "we know that the youngest, the
three year old, Jezaih has been missing for several months. We are very
concerned that quite possibly he is a victim of foul play or at minimum
is in immediate danger."
Anyone with information about Jezaih should call police at 427-1222. You can also give an
anonymous tip by calling CrimeStoppers at 436-7867.
Jezaih's mother, 31 year old Lathisha Lawson, and his 10 year old sister, Kierra King, were also
reported missing yesterday. Family members said the two hadn't been
seen since around September or October.
But shortly after news of their disappearance came out, police located Lawson and King in Fort
Wayne. They're now questioning Lawson about Jezaih.
Police say an Amber Alert
wasn't issued in this case because of how long Jezaih has been missing
and for how long his sister was missing.
Officials have not yet elaborated on the circumstances which led to the family members'
disappearance, or on the kind of danger they think Jezaih may be in.
The investigation is still underway.
Again, if you have information about Jezaih, call police at 427-1222 or CrimeStoppers at 436-7867.

Toddler's Remains Found...Mother Charged...Death May Have Occurred More Than A Year Ago

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) – A call to police leads to a gruesome discovery in Fort Wayne. The remains of a young boy are found in a home on Wabash Avenue...his mother charged in the death.
A Probable Cause report indicates it was just before 4:00pm Monday when Fort Wayne Police received a call from a woman saying her roommate, 31-year-old Latisha Lawson, had placed a body in a blanket in a closet on or about November 19th, 2009.

According to the report, police got information from another person about where to find Lawson, went and found her, interviewed her and took her to the Fort Wayne Police station.
It was just after 1:00am Tuesday when police read Lawson her rights. She signed a form stating that she understood those rights and then police questioned her.
Police say they asked Lawson how many children she had, and Lawson told them she had two, Kierra King and Jezaih King.. When asked where the children were, Lawson told them that the boy was with God. She went on to tell the police that he went with God about a week before Thanksgiving in 2009. She said the boy had upset her because she couldn’t take his temper tantrums. Lawson then said that she gave the boy olive oil and vinegar until he stopped breathing. Lawson told police she wrapped the boy up in a blanket and placed him in the closet…while never calling EMS or providing medical attention.
Police then asked her if she knew at that time that she had murdered her son and she said, “Yes.”
Officials say Lawson then told them that her son’s body was in a tote in a bedroom and gave them the location. Crime scene detectives got a search warrant, as well as permission to search the residence from Lawson and the owner. Officers located the body exactly where Lawson said it was.
Lawson is charged with Neglect of a Dependent, a Class A Felony.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday to determine cause and manner of death.
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Police-Looking-For-Missing-Family-112228244.html

Woman acknowledges causing oil-and-vinegar death, court document says



Latisha Lawson told police she couldn't take her 3-year-old son's temper tantrums.So
one day in November 2009 she gave the young boy olive oil and vinegar
until he stopped breathing. She then wrapped his body in a blanket and
stuffed it in her bedroom closet. To her, he had gone to be with God. Tuesday
morning, more than a year after Jezaih King was last seen, and hours
after questioning Lawson, Fort Wayne police found the body of a toddler
in a tote bag inside a home in the 1300 block of Wabash Avenue, where
the 31-year-old Lawson had lived. Lawson's confession is detailed
in an Allen Superior Court document released today. She has been
charged with one felony count of neglect of a dependent and is currently
in the Allen County Lockup in lieu of $25,000 bail. The body
police found in the home on Wabash Avenue has not yet been officially
identified. The Allen County Coroner's Office is scheduled to do an
autopsy to determine the cause of death. But the court documents
indicate police believe it is probably Jezaih King. The events that led to police questioning Lawson began Monday, with two events.Family
members reported Monday that Lawson, Jezaih and Lawson's 10-year-old
daughter were missing. The family members told police they had not had
contact with Lawson or her daughter since September or October, and that
Jezaih had not been seen for 10 months or longer. Also Monday,
Lawson's roommate called police and told them that Lawson had killed her
son Nov. 19, 2009, wrapped him in a blanket and stuffed him in a
closet. Another person contacted police and told them where Lawson could
be found. During questioning, Lawson told detectives that she
had two kids, but that one of them was with God. She then admitted that
she gave King olive oil and vinegar until he died and never contacted
emergency medical services. While she first wrapped him in a blanket, she said at some time he was transferred to a tote bag. "At
that time did you know you had murdered your son?" a detective asked
Lawson during questioning, according to the court document. She answered with one word:"Yes."
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20101221/LOCAL07/101229929/1043/LOCAL07

Oh god She should have to suffer the same IMO.

??? Why did the family wait until now to say they hadn't seen
Jezaih?? Whackos!

Child's Death Ruled Homicide; Remains Believed to Be Jezaih King

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) – The Allen County Coroner has ruled the death of the remains discovered in a Fort Wayne home on Tuesday a homicide. Investigators have reasonable belief that the remains are that of 2-year-old Jezaih King. The manner of death is asphyxia due to compression of the neck.
The child's mother, 31-year-old Latisha Lawson, is in police custody on a preliminary charge of neglect of a dependent. Reports indicate Lawson killed her toddler in November of 2009 and hid the body.

read more.....
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Autopsy-to-Reveal-Cause-of-Childs-Death-112314024.html

Boy’s death homicide; timeline still mystery

The death of a toddler whose body was found in a south-side home
Tuesday and has yet to be identified has been declared a homicide by the
Allen County Coroner’s Office.But details surrounding what
happened to 3-year-old Jezaih King, are still murky, including where and
when he was killed and how old he was at the time of his death. The
boy’s body has not been positively identified, though officials believe
it is that of Jezaih.What is known is that the child died from
asphyxia due to compression of his neck, which means someone pushed down
or used something to push down on his neck until he died. It’s
also known that King’s mother, Latisha Lawson, told police she killed
the boy over a year ago because of his temper tantrums.But
Lawson’s confession as described in a court document is not consistent
with the coroner’s report. And a police report shows she lived in at
least one other residence in the past year before landing this month at
1301 Wabash Ave., where the boy’s body was discovered. Fort Wayne
police confirmed Wednesday they had spoken with Lawson about her
children’s well-being in September. She and another woman told officers
the boy was fine and staying somewhere else.

The case
Lawson, 31, is in the Allen County Jail facing a felony count of neglect of a dependent.A
little more than two weeks ago, Lawson and her 10-year-old daughter
ended up at Oakridge Temple Church and Ministry with nowhere to live,
the church’s pastor said. The church gave them use of a home being
renovated into a men’s shelter. On Monday, Lawson’s family filed a
missing person report regarding her, her daughter and her son,
according to Fort Wayne police. The family said Jezaih had not been seen
in at least 10 months, according to police. That same day, a
former roommate of Lawson’s told police Lawson had wrapped her dead son
in a blanket on Nov. 19, 2009, and put him in a closet at an address
police have not released.Lawson was found at the Wabash Avenue home Monday night. Tuesday
morning, Lawson admitted to detectives that she killed her son in
November 2009 by giving him olive oil and vinegar until he quit
breathing, according to an Allen Superior Court document. She said she
then put him in a closet in her bedroom, just as her former roommate
said. The discrepancy in her story and how the child found at the
Wabash Avenue home died is so far not hindering the investigation, Fort
Wayne Police Chief Rusty York said. “Well, I’ve never heard of
anybody who died from ingesting olive oil or vinegar,” York said. “But
detectives were able to know the child did not die naturally.” Lawson
told police during her questioning the boy could be found in the Wabash
Avenue home in a tote bag, and police did find the body they believe to
be Jezaih’s inside the home. It was not the first time police were looking for Lawson and the boy, though.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20101223/LOCAL07/312239991

A coroner has ruled strangulation caused the death of a young boy whose
body might have been hidden for a year by his mother before being found
in a Fort Wayne house.

Police have said they believe the body is
3-year-old Jezaih King, but are awaiting DNA testing. The body was
discovered Tuesday, a day after Fort Wayne police reported they were
looking for Jezaih and his family.

The boy's mother told police
investigators she fed her 3-year-old son olive oil and vinegar until he
stopped breathing and died, then wrapped his body in a blanket and hid
it for more than a year, according to court documents.

Fort Wayne police arrested Latisha Ann Lawson on Tuesday, a day after
family members reported her and her two children missing. Officers found
Lawson and her 10-year-old daughter living in a house that a church had
provided for them in recent weeks.

Investigators reported
finding a child's remains inside a tote bag. An autopsy was planned to
confirm they were the boy's and to determine a cause of death.



"It appeared that that child had been deceased for some time, so
it does appear that she had been carrying the remains of that child
with her," Officer Raquel Foster told television station WPTA.

Lawson,
31, told investigators that in November 2009 she fed her son, Jezaih
King, the olive oil and vinegar because she was frustrated with his
temper tantrums, according to Allen County court documents. She said she
put his wrapped body in a blanket and put it in a closet at the home
where she was then living, the documents say.

Lawson remained
jailed Wednesday on a felony charge of neglect of a dependent causing
death. A judge scheduled a court hearing for next week after ruling
Tuesday that there was probable cause for her arrest.

Lawson's daughter was taken into protective custody.

Elisha
Harris, pastor of the Oakridge Temple Church and Ministry, said Lawson
had approached the church, saying she and her daughter had no place to
live. He arranged for them to stay in the house that was being renovated
into a shelter.

A woman implicated in the death of her toddler son poured vinegar and
olive oil into his throat because she thought he was possessed by a
demon.New details surrounding the case of 31-year-old Latisha
Lawson and her son, Jezaih King, were released today in Allen Superior
Court documents.Lawson was also formally charged by Allen County
prosecutors with two counts of battery and three counts of neglect of a
dependent.Previously, police found what they believe to be the
body of King in a home at 1301 Wabash Ave. on Dec. 21. Lawson was
staying at the home, then being renovated for a Men's shelter, with her
10-year-old daughter.During questioning by detectives, Lawson
said she killed her son sometime in November 2009, when he was 2 years
old. Detailed in the newly released court documents are parts of
Lawson's confession as well as an interview with her daughter.
Lawson said that while staying in an apartment on Hobson Road
she gave both her son a concoction of olive oil and vinegar.Her
daughter said she also received the concoction, and that Lawson gave it
to her children because she believed they were demon possessed. Lawson
apparently gave the mixture to her son at least three times during the
course of one incident, according to the documents. He would spit the
mixture out until she held his mouth closed. He then quit struggling and
died, according to the court documents.Lawson then laid the body
of her son on a couch and had her daughter come say goodbye to him.
After that, she placed the boy's body on a bed and prayed over it. Then,
she wrapped it in a blanket and put it in a closet.When they
moved earlier this month, the boy's body was placed in a plastic tote
and taken with them, according to the court documents.The
official cause of death of the body found at 1301 Wabash Avenue was
asphyxia due to compression of the neck, which means someone put
pressure or used something to put pressure on the boy's neck until he
died.The coroner's office has not definitively determined the
identity of the body using DNA, but police and investigators believe
that it is that of Jezaih King.Lawson is currently in the Allen County Jail.

An Indiana woman accused of feeding her young son olive oil and
vinegar until he stopped breathing and died and then hiding his body
more than a year has been formally charged.Latisha Lawson, 31, of
Fort Wayne faces two felony counts of battery and three felony counts
of neglect of a dependent, according to a probable cause affidavit filed
Tuesday in Allen County Superior Court. The document also provides
details from an interview with Lawson's 10-year-old daughter, who was
also allegedly neglected.DNA results are still pending to
definitively determine whether remains found Dec. 21 at a home in which
Lawson was living are those of her 3-year-old son, Jezaih King. An
autopsy found the cause of death for the young child found in the house
to be asphyxia due to compression of the neck.According to the
probable cause affidavit, Lawson told authorities that Jezaih died more
than a year ago after she gave him three doses of oil and vinegar and
then held his mouth shut for 10 minutes until he stopped struggling.No
attorney for Lawson was listed in court records Wednesday. She was
being held in the Allen County Jail on $130,000 bond. An initial court
hearing is scheduled for Thursday.During an initial interview,
Lawson said she believed her children were possessed by demons,
according to police. She also said she could not take Jezaih's temper
tantrums.Police said she told them she gave both children doses
of oil and vinegar, but that she left her 10-year-old daughter alone
when she spit it out.According to the court document, the
daughter told police how Lawson put Jezaih's body on a couch and called
her over to say goodbye to her brother. The girl said her mother then
placed Jezaih on a bed and told her to pray over her dead sibling.A former roommate told police Jezaih died in an apartment on Nov. 19, 2009, according to court records.Lawson
was taken into custody on Dec. 21. Someone tipped off authorities about
where she was after media reported that Fort Wayne police were looking
for a missing family of three. Lawson's daughter was placed in
protective custody.

AFFIDAVIT FOR PROBABLE CAUSE

http://myinc.tv//scorevideo/Latisha-Lawson-Probable-Cause.pdf

An Indiana woman arrested after authorities found what they believe
to be the remains of her 3-year-old son kept hidden for over a year is
now facing additional charges in connection with his death.
Prosecutors formally filed charges Tuesday against 31-year-old
Latisha Lawson including two counts of battery and three counts of
neglecting a dependent for the alleged abuse of her two children in November 2009.

Documents filed supporting the charges reveal new details about how
and why authorities say the Fort Wayne mother killed her son.
Relatives reported Lawson, her 10-year-old daughter and her
3-year-old son Jeziah King missing on December 20, saying they had not
seen the mother or girl for months and they had not seen the boy for at
least 10 months. On the same day, a woman who once lived with them told
police that Lawson put her son’s dead body in a closet in November 2009,
according to a police affidavit.
After Lawson and her daughter were located safely, she was questioned
by police about the missing boy. Lawson, who had waived her rights,
allegedly told a Fort Wayne Police Department detective that she gave
both of her children a mixture of olive oil and vinegar because she
believed they were possessed by demons, and she gave the combination to
Jeziah until he stopped breathing because she could not take his “temper
tantrums.” She then stated that her son’s body could be found in a tote
in the bedroom of a house where she recently stayed and that, according
to the document, “he had gone to be with God approximately one week
prior to Thanksgiving 2009.”
Asked by the detective whether she knew at the time that she had
murdered her son, she allegedly replied, “Yes.”
On December 21, authorities interviewed Lawson’s daughter, who
confirmed she and her brother had been given the olive oil and vinegar
because their mother thought they were possessed. The 10-year-old
reportedly said that she immediately vomited afterward but that Jeziah
King died as he was spitting out the mixture. She also alleged that
Lawson put his body on a bed and had her pray over him before moving the
body to a closet. According to her, Lawson placed the body in a plastic
tote when they moved out of that apartment and kept him with them.
The affidavit also states that the girl accused Lawson of frequently
beating her with a pink belt or an extension cord. A forensic nurse
photographed marks on her body that appeared consistent with such abuse.
Police conducted another interview with Lawson on December 27th, and
she again waived her rights. The documents allege that she admitted to
whipping the girl with the belt as a form of punishment. She also
reportedly provided more information about Jeziah King’s death, telling a
detective that she gave her son the olive oil and vinegar mixture three
times and on the third time she held his mouth closed for about ten
minutes until he was no longer struggling or breathing.
DNA tests are still pending to confirm the identity of the child’s
body found in the house. Preliminary autopsy results indicated that he
died from asphyxia due to compression of the neck.
Lawson is now being held on $230,000 bond and the court has ordered
her to have no contact with her daughter. A trial setting hearing is
scheduled for January 20.

The former roommate of a woman charged with killing her 3-year-old son
and carrying around his dead body for almost a year has been arrested
and charged with multiple counts for her alleged role in the crime,
which she described to police as an exorcism.

Natasha N. Hawkins, 31, of the 1900 block of Hobson Road, was arrested Tuesday and was being held on $70,000 bond.

The
charges for both Hawkins and her former roommate, 31-year-old Latisha
A. Lawson, stem from the death of Lawson's son, Jezaih King, the result
of what Hawkins told Fort Wayne Police investigators was an exorcism.
Hawkins also admitted to police that she helped Lawson cover up the
incident. Both Hawkins' three children and Lawson's 10-year-old daughter
also described enduring abuse from both women.
Missing boy found

In late December police responded to a call regarding information for a
missing child. According to Allen Superior Court documents, the caller
learned from Hawkins that Jezaih had died in the apartment on Hobson
Road that Hawkins shared with Lawson. Lawson was no longer living there,
but police found her at her home at 1301 Wabash Ave.

The Wabash
home is owned by Jubilee House Ministry, a transitional ministry for men
leaving the Department of Correction. When a homeless Lawson approached
Pastor Elisha Harris, he allowed her to temporarily live in the unused
house with her daughter.

Harris said he had no idea that when
Lawson moved into the home she brought with her the body of her son
inside a tote bag. Police discovered the boy's body after Lawson told
officers during an interview that they could find it in a bedroom
closet. Jezaih's death was ruled the 29th homicide of 2010 in Allen
County after an autopsy found he died of asphyxia due to compression of
the neck.




The ‘exorcism'

Probable-cause affidavits for Hawkins and Lawson include police
interviews where both recounted the events that led to the boy's death
in November 2009.

Hawkins told police she and Lawson had
performed an exorcism on him by forcing him to drink an olive oil-
and-vinegar mixture because they believed he was possessed with demons.
Hawkins said she told Lawson that people possessed should drink olive
oil, adding the vinegar was Lawson's idea, she said.

Lawson
admitted to pouring the mixture in Jezaih's mouth three times because
“she couldn't take his temper tantrums.” The third time, she said she
held his mouth shut for about 10 minutes, until he stopped struggling.
Hawkins told police the boy “was kicking, clawing and scratching during
this time.” She said she held his legs down while he kicked. Hawkins'
three children and Jazaih's sister were present during the “exorcism,”
Hawkins told police.

After finding Jezaih with no heartbeat or
pulse, Lawson told police she wrapped him in a blanket and placed his
body on a bed and then later in a closet with Hawkins' help.

Both
women said they never attempted to contact police or seek medical
attention for the boy. Hawkins said they would burn a candle to mask the
smell of the body.

In Hawkins' interview with police, she said
she grew tired of the body in her apartment and Lawson and her daughter
staying with her. She said she kicked the two out of the apartment and
began home-schooling her children because she was fearful they would
tell police what had happened.
Histories of abuse

Court documents detail interviews with Hawkins' three children, all of
whom described enduring abuse from their mother, including being
“whooped and/or spanked … causing pain and/or visible injury” with her
hand, a belt or an extension cord. Lawson's daughter described similar
abuse from both her mother and Hawkins. Police took photos of all four
children and their visible injuries.

All four children reported
they were also given the olive- oil-and-vinegar concoction, and all
vomited as a result, according to court documents. Kierra told police
that “(Jezaih's) death was a secret for a ‘long time' so that ‘Mommy
wouldn't have to go to jail.'” She also said that while Jezaih's body
was on a bed, her mom told her to “say goodbye” and forced her to view
and pray over the body.

Lawson was charged in December with
murder and battery and neglect of a dependent resulting in death, both
Class A felonies; and neglect of a dependent and battery, both Class D
felonies. She is scheduled to stand trial May 24.

If convicted of
the murder charge alone she could face 45 years to life in prison
without the possibility of parole. For the other offenses, she could
face up to 50 years each for the Class A felonies and up to six years
for each Class D felony.

Hawkins was scheduled to appear in court
this morning for an initial hearing on charges of aiding battery and
aiding neglect of a dependent resulting in death, both Class A felonies;
assisting a criminal, a Class C felony; and four counts of battery, a
Class D felony. Hawkins' maximum sentence for all charges could be 132
years if convicted.

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110323/NEWS/103230346

Roommate of mother charged in boy’s death
Jezaih

Hawkins

Lawson

FORT WAYNE – A second woman has been charged in the killing of a 2-year-old whose body had been kept in a plastic tote.On
Monday, Allen County prosecutors filed charges against Natasha N.
Hawkins, 31, of the 1900 block of Hobson Road, accusing her of
participating in the death of 2-year-old Jezaih King.Jezaih’s
mother, Latisha Lawson, 31, was charged late last year with battery
causing death, neglect of a dependent causing death, neglect of a
dependent causing injury, neglect of a dependent and battery. The
additional charges accuse Lawson of beating and neglecting her
10-year-old daughter. On Feb. 11, prosecutors added an additional charge
of murder against Lawson in connection with Jezaih’s death.The
charges against Hawkins, filed in Allen Superior Court, include aiding
in battery causing death, neglect of a dependent causing death,
assisting a criminal and four counts of battery.According to
court documents, Hawkins actively participated in the events leading up
to Jezaih’s death, which both Hawkins and Lawson described to police as
an exorcism.Hawkins is accused of holding down Jezaih’s legs and
saying a prayer while Lawson poured a mixture of olive oil and vinegar
down his throat in November 2009, believing, the women said, he and his
sister were possessed by demons. Lawson also poured the mixture
down her daughter’s throat, but the girl told police she vomited it out.
According to court documents, Lawson held Jezaih’s mouth shut for about
10 minutes until he stopped struggling.After the toddler died,
Lawson told her daughter to come say goodbye to him, later putting the
body on the bed for a period of time, court documents said. The girl
told police she had to view the body and pray over him. Lawson
later wrapped the toddler’s body in a blanket and put him in a closet,
then into a plastic tote that she took with them when they moved,
according to court documents.The boy’s death remained a secret
until late last year when Lawson’s family reported her missing, saying
they had not seen her or the daughter since September or October and
hadn’t seen the toddler in more than a year.When police
questioned Hawkins, Lawson’s former roommate, she confirmed Lawson’s son
died in the Hobson Road apartment they shared.Police found the
toddler’s body inside a south-side home Dec. 21. The Allen County
coroner ruled the death a homicide, caused by asphyxia from a compressed
neck. When police caught up with Lawson and interviewed her, she said
her son was “with God.”She told detectives she could not tolerate
his tantrums anymore and that she believed both her children were
demon-possessed, according to court documents.In late January,
police interviewed Hawkins who said that she and Lawson performed an
“exorcist” on Jezaih. Hawkins told police that she told Lawson “you
should drink olive oil…to get rid of demons,” according to court
documents.It was Lawson’s idea to add the vinegar, according to court documents.Hawkins
said her own three children, as well as Lawson’s daughter, were present
in the room while Lawson poured the mixture into Jezaih’s mouth. Hawkins said the toddler was “kicking, clawing, and scratching” and she held down his legs.Hawkins’
own children were fed the concoction and all began to vomit. All the
children were present when Jezaih died, according to court documents.In order to keep the body from being discovered, Hawkins said she would burn a candle to mask the odor. When
she grew tired of the situation – “Lawson being in her home, the
deceased child’s body on her bed, then in the closet, the children
viewing the body” – she made Lawson move out, court records said.Hawkins
told police she never called police or emergency medical services to
seek help for Jezaih and after his death home-schooled her children
because she was afraid they would say something to the authorities,
according to court documents.The battery charges relate to her treatment of her own children, according to court documents.Hawkins remains in the Allen County Jail, with bail set at $70,000. She is scheduled for an initial hearing today in Allen Superior Court.In late January, Lawson’s court-appointed attorney filed paperwork indicating she intended to use a defense of insanity. She has since been examined by mental health experts, according to court records.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110323/LOCAL03/303239982/1002/LOCAL

Published: May 10, 2011

Sanity at issue in toddler’s exorcism death

Rebecca S. Green


Hawkins


With one defendant scheduled to stand trial this month, the cases against two women accused of killing a toddler they believed to be
demon-possessed are moving forward.Latisha Lawson and Natasha N. Hawkins, both 31, each face multiple charges in connection with the death of 2-year-old Jezaih King and beatings endured by other children in their home.

Late last week, Allen County deputy prosecutors argued with Lawson’s defense attorney John Bohdan about whether Lawson’s eldest daughter should have to testify in her mother’s trial, set for later this month.

On Monday, Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull appointed mental health experts to evaluate Hawkins to determine whether she is sane and whether she is competent to assist in her own defense. Lawson, Jezaih’s mother, was charged late last year with battery causing death, neglect of a dependent causing death, neglect of a dependent causing injury, neglect of a dependent and battery.

The additional charges accuse Lawson of beating and neglecting her 10-year-old daughter. On Feb. 11, prosecutors added an additional charge of murder against Lawson in connection with Jezaih’s death.

In March, prosecutors charged Hawkins as well, accusing her of actively participating in the events leading up to the toddler’s death, which both Hawkins and Lawson described to police as an exorcism.Hawkins is charged with aiding in battery causing death, neglect of a dependent causing death, assisting a criminal and four counts of battery.

She is accused of holding down Jezaih’s legs and saying a prayer while Lawson poured a mixture of olive oil and vinegar down his throat in November 2009, believing, the women said, he and his sister were possessed by demons. Lawson also poured the mixture down her daughter’s throat, but the girl told police she vomited it up. According to court documents, Lawson held Jezaih’s mouth shut for about 10 minutes until he stopped struggling. After the toddler died, Lawson told her daughter to come say goodbye to him,
later putting the body on the bed for a period of time, court documents said. The girl told police she had to view the body and pray over him. Lawson later wrapped the toddler’s body in a blanket and put him in a closet, then into a plastic tote that she took with them when they moved, according to court documents.

The boy’s death remained a secret until late last year when Lawson’s family reported her missing, saying they had not seen her or the daughter since September or October and hadn’t seen the toddler in more than a year. When police questioned Hawkins, Lawson’s former roommate, she confirmed Lawson’s son died in the Hobson Road apartment they shared.

Police found the toddler’s body Dec. 21 inside a south-side home. The Allen County coroner ruled the death a homicide, caused by asphyxia from a compressed neck.

When police caught up with Lawson and interviewed her, she said her son was “with God.”She told detectives she could not tolerate his tantrums anymore and that she believed both her children were demon-possessed, according to court documents.

In late January, police interviewed Hawkins who said that she and Lawson performed an “exorcist” on Jezaih.Hawkins told police that she told Lawson “you should drink olive oil to get rid of demons,” according to court documents.

It was Lawson’s idea to add the vinegar, according to court documents. Hawkins said her own three children, as well as Lawson’s daughter, were present while Lawson poured the mixture into Jezaih’s mouth.

Hawkins said the toddler was “kicking, clawing, and scratching” and she held down his legs. Hawkins’ children were fed the concoction and all began to vomit. All the children were present when Jezaih died, according to court documents. To keep the body from being discovered, Hawkins said she would burn a candle to mask the odor. Hawkins later made Lawson move out of the house.

The battery charges relate to Hawkins’ treatment of her own children, according to court documents.