Deonta Johnson, on the left, and Shatia Welch, on the right, appear inset against the apartment complex where their 1-year-old was killed by their 5-year-old. (La Porte County Jail; Screengrab via WTHR)
The Indiana parents of a 1-year-old boy shot and killed by his 5-year-old brother earlier this year have been arrested and charged in connection with his tragic death, court records show.
Deonta Jermaine Johnson, 27, and Shatia Tiara Welch, 24, stand accused of myriad crimes related to the March 28 killing of Isiah Johnson at the family’s apartment on Westchester Lane in Lafayette – a medium-sized city located some 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
Each parent is charged with one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, two counts of neglect resulting in endangerment, and one count each of neglect resulting in bodily injury, conspiracy to commit dealing a narcotic drug, dealing a narcotic drug, possession of a narcotic, conspiracy to commit dealing marijuana, dealing marijuana, possession of marijuana, and possession of paraphernalia, according to Tippecanoe Superior Court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Johnson has also been charged with one count of obstructing justice.
The younger boy died when his older brother found a gun inside the family’s Romney Meadows apartment unit and shot him once in the head, police allege in a probable cause affidavit obtained by local Fox affiliate WXIN and local NBC affiliate WTHR.
The younger boy, all of 16 months old, died from a lone gunshot wound to the head, police allege. Following the death, toxicology results reportedly showed the toddler tested positive for marijuana. His older brother allegedly had cocaine in his system.
The parents were arrested on Monday afternoon, after a traffic stop, the Lafayette Police Department said in a press release.
Johnson told police he was asleep on the couch when he heard a “loud boom” and found his son in his bedroom, court documents allege.
At the time, the boy’s father denied his child had been shot and “repeatedly denied having a gun in the apartment.” The affidavit also reportedly says Johnson originally claimed his boy “had to have been injured by falling or an injury caused by” his older son. Police said Johnson would allegedly go on to say that Welch, whose name is on the lease, had a gun there.
Upon later questioning, Johnson said “he heard a noise which woke him up” and saw his older son downstairs, asking for a bowl of cereal. Johnson said he prepared that requested bowl of cereal before going to check on the younger boy, according to the affidavit.
Welch arrived back home amidst the already-in-progress investigation, the court document notes.
The mother of the children would allegedly tell police that she kept her gun locked away under her bed in a box – but admitted to having lost one of the two sets of keys. Welch went on to say that her 5-year-old “would not know what the keys belonged to,” the affidavit says.
Officers searching the apartment, however, said they found a gun and the keys to a Nissan in the top dresser drawer of a bedroom. Various drugs were also allegedly found in the apartment.
According to police, surveillance footage from the apartment complex also showed Johnson leaving and placing a bag into a car – after his son had died. Marijuana was allegedly found stashed inside that car, police claim, after a search warrant was obtained.
Both Johnson and Welch appeared in court on Wednesday. La Porte County Jail records no longer show either defendant as being detained. The father’s trial is currently slated to begin Nov. 28; the mother’s trial is currently slated to begin Dec. 12.
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