A guilty plea was entered on Tuesday by Shatika Lawson, a woman charged in the death of her four-year-old stepson, Malachi Lawson, who died from burns in a scalding bath.
Shatika, along with her partner and the child’s biological mother, Alicia Lawson, had been accused of causing Malachi’s death by scalding him in a bath, neglecting to seek necessary medical treatment for his severe burns, and subsequently disposing of his body. Shatika’s sentencing is set to take place on December 6.
Alicia Lawson, the biological mother, had previously admitted to her role in the tragic incident and is serving a 30-year prison sentence.
The charging documents relate that on July 23, 2019, the two women were bathing Malachi after he had soiled himself. While cleaning his clothes, they turned back to find Malachi had sustained serious burns on his lower body. The burns were so grave that fragments of his skin were found floating in the bathwater.
Despite the urgency and severity of Malachi’s condition, both women refrained from dialing 911 due to their fears of Malachi being taken away by child protective services, with whom they had prior engagements. Instead, they opted to treat the boy’s severe burns at home for nine days.
On the morning of August 1, 2019, Alicia discovered her son was unresponsive. She wrapped him in a blanket and placed him inside a trash bag, summoned a Lyft car, which transported her and her son’s body to a dumpster located around 10 miles from their residence. She discarded the body of her young son in the trash.
Contradicting any claims that the child’s scalding could have been an accident, investigators determined that the water temperature at the Lawsons’ residence never rose above lukewarm.
Following her guilty plea, Shatika could face life imprisonment.