Shocking moment mother of murdered 13-week-old baby DEFENDS convicted killer father who suffocated child by shoving baby wipe down his throat
A mother left the court in stunned silence after defending the man convicted of murdering her 13-week-old son.
Traveon Hughes Sr, 20, pleaded his innocence during his trial in the death of his son Traveon Jr, who choked on a baby wipe in June 2022.
After a jury convicted him this week of purposefully and fatally pushing the baby wipe down the child’s throat, the baby’s mother, Acieiona McEwan, took the stand at Hughes’ sentencing to condemn the court’s decision .
“You’re all making a mistake,” she said. “You all know what you did to my child, and you are not going to get away with this.”
Traveon Hughes Sr, 20, was sentenced this week to life in prison with parole for 15 years after a jury convicted him of murdering his infant son by stuffing a baby wipe down his throat
Acieiona McEwan stunned the court at the sentencing, telling the judge they ‘made a mistake’ and ‘can’t get away with this’
McEwan warned the court that ‘God gets the final say’ and has reportedly argued that medical professionals are responsible for her son’s death as she was not the only one from Hughes’ family to argue for his innocence.
The convicted murderer’s mother, Sandra Norwood, told the court: “Ohio will be sick of me because justice will prevail.”
On Friday, Hughes was found guilty of murder, involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment as prosecutors alleged he forced the baby wipe down his son’s throat to keep him from crying.
The tragedy occurred on June 25, 2022, two days after Hughes and McEwan moved from Chicago to Cleveland when they were both 18 years old.
Traveon Jr. was just 13 weeks old when he suffocated, while Hughes was at home with his brother and girlfriend with the baby while McEwan was at work.
During the trial, Hughes testified in his own defense, claiming that his son accidentally choked on the cloth. cleveland.com.
He claimed he replaced a bib on his son’s chest with the cloth after spilling milk on it, but left the room for a short time to tend to wounds he suffered during a shooting in Chicago in December 2021 , where he was shot 19 times. his legs and body.
When he returned, Hughes said he found his son choking on the cloth, and that the child was still alive when paramedics arrived.
Hughes claimed that his son Traveon Jr (pictured) accidentally choked, but prosecutors argued that the child was too small to roll up a baby wipe and put it in his own mouth.
Hughes was found guilty of murder, involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment
The baby, who was born 13 weeks premature and was the size of a newborn, was later pronounced dead at hospital, where medics reportedly found the cloth still stuck in his throat.
Hughes maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and his lawyer said at his sentencing that they “disagreed” with the jury’s decision, adding: “He did not recklessly or purposefully put a baby down his throat.” baby pushed.”
Prosecutors countered that Traveon Jr. was too small to put the cloth in his own mouth and not developed enough to even roll it up.
Images of his small hands were shown to the court, while Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Kerry Sowul argued he was too weak to have caused his own death.
“These precious little hands didn’t have the ability to pick up that cloth and put it in his mouth, let alone roll it up and push it that far in,” she said.
At his sentencing, the judge imposed the maximum sentence demanded by prosecutors: life in prison with the possibility of parole after fifteen years.
After the hearing, McEwan and Norwood said they blamed doctors at the hospital for mishandling the child’s treatment.
They claimed they were unable to retrieve the baby’s remains, and McEwan said she only learned her son had been cremated earlier this year – and still doesn’t know where his ashes are.
Hughes maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and his partner and mother condemned both accusers for their role in the trial at his sentencing this week.
While McEwan made her feelings known about Hughes’ innocence, her own family berated her over the sentencing for her outburst.
Her uncle Martrelle Wilcox said he just wanted justice for his great-nephew, telling the court via videolink that Hughes “doesn’t deserve to see the light of day.”
“Normally I wouldn’t wish jail time on my worst enemy, but that boy couldn’t even defend himself,” he said.
McEwan’s father Acie also criticized his daughter’s comments about the sentencing, telling her “to stop trying to stick up for that man – he killed that baby.”