By Kelli Smith
A woman was indicted Monday on charges of manslaughter, child endangerment and tampering with physical evidence in the fatal shooting of her 3-year-old son earlier this year, according to court records.
A Dallas County grand jury handed up the indictments against Lacravivonne Washington in the death of Jalexus Washington Jr., according to court records. The boy’s father, Jalexus Washington Sr., was also indicted Monday on a tampering with physical evidence charge. Their attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment.
Jalexus was shot in the head March 28 and taken by his mother to Medical City Dallas Hospital in North Dallas, where he died. His mother initially told authorities she and three of her children, ages 2, 3, and 4, were involved in a road-rage incident about 20 minutes before they arrived at the hospital, police said.
She also told police there was no gun in her car, but investigators found one in the glove compartment that could’ve been “easily” reached by her children, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit.
During a second interview with police, Lacravivonne Washington said the gun is hers and she reached for it twice during the road-rage incident but never pulled it out, police said in the affidavit. She also said her children “were freely moving around” from the front to the back seats of the car, the affidavit says. Police said there were no child safety seats or restraints in the car.
Investigators couldn’t find “a legitimate crime scene” or evidence to match the mother’s story, and police determined she “recklessly killed” the boy, the affidavit says. Police said Jalexus’ autopsy showed he was shot in the head at close range, which ruled out the possibility he was shot by someone in another car.
Police also found a second gun with Jalexus Washington Sr. and determined it was the weapon that killed the 3-year-old, the affidavit says. Both guns were purchased March 4 by Lacravivonne Washington, police said. The father told investigators that Lacravivonne Washington gave the gun to him at the hospital and asked him to hide it, so he concealed it in his pocket, an affidavit says.
Both parents were arrested two days after the shooting. Lacravivonne Washington was charged with two counts of child endangerment and one count each of manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence. Jalexus Washington Sr. was charged with one count of tampering with physical evidence.
Four of their children — ages 2, 4, 7 and 9 — were placed with a relative after being removed from their home by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Lacravivonne Washington told a reporter “I’m still trying to get myself together right” when reached by phone before her arrest. She wrote several Facebook posts mourning that she only had three years with her son. “My baby took his last breath in my arms,” she wrote.
Both Lacravivonne Washington and Jalexus Washington Sr. were released from jail after posting bond, according to court records. Lacravivonne Washington is out with an ankle monitor, but a bail bondsman requested that authorities arrest Jalexus Washington Sr. again because he hasn’t returned calls or checked in, court records show.
