Facebook Mom Sentenced in Drowning

A northern Colorado woman who was spending time on Facebook while her 13-month-old baby drowned in a bathtub was sentenced last month to prison.

Shannon Johnson, 34, of Fort Lupton, Colorado, was sentenced to 10 years in prison recently after pleading guilty in March to negligently causing the death of her child.

Johnson left her son in the tub for his bath unsupervised as she went to another room to share videos, check status updates and play Café World on Facebook, reports say. When she returned to the bathroom, she found Joseph sideways and face-down in the water. Although Johnson immediately called 911 to say Joseph wasn't breathing, the toddler was pronounced dead at a Denver hospital.

Reports say Johnson gave the boy a bath every day, and sometimes twice a day, but on that specific day the water level might have been higher than usual. But she also stated that she had been leaving Joseph in the bathtub alone for weeks before the drowning.

The baby died of anoxic brain injury, cardiac arrest and drowning, according to reports. Johnson was arrested a few days after the drowning. The sentencing of Ms. Johnson was for up to 12 years, but she received 10, with five years of mandatory parole after her time served, according to reports.

If you have been involved in a water-related accident, the offices of Attorney Jimmy Doan can help. With lengthy experience in water injury, the Doan Law Firm, P.C., led by Houston personal injury attorney Jimmy Doan, has extensive experience in worker's compensation and employee litigation. Contact the Doan Law Firm, P.C. at 1 Riverway, Suite 2055, Houston, Texas 77056, (713) 869-4747 or (800) 910-FIRM

Categories