“Loving” Mom Claims Baby Decapitated Herself

“Loving” Mom Claims Baby Decapitated Herself

What if you were set out to fail from the very moment that you were born? What if you were tossed around from home to home like garbage only to have your family members interfere when you finally managed to put down roots? What if you had no way to truly feel safe? Would you do everything to stop this cycle of destruction once having a child of your own?

Today’s story explores untreated mental illness in a web of dysfunction that spans generations, ending in the most horrific way possible. This is the story of Deasia and Janiah Watkins.

A Broken Childhood

Like many little girls in our stories, Deasia Watkins didn’t grow up in the best circumstances. She grew up in a home that was unfit for kids and bounced around from house to house for years, sustaining neglect that was severe enough to get the attention of authorities.

She was born to a mother, Tina Johnson, who suffered from severe mental illness. Some of those illnesses included depression and schizoaffective disorder, which is a condition in which a person suffers hallucinations and other symptoms similar to schizophrenia. Tina also had an IQ score under 70. Similar to schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder is thought to have a genetic component. This means that individuals who have a first-degree relative or family history of schizophrenia, mood disorders, or schizoaffective disorder are at a higher risk for developing the disorder themselves. In 1997, a psychiatrist wrote that Tina Johnson showed significant deficiencies with respect to parenting and intellectual functioning.

And the psychiatrist was right. Tina was an unfit parent. When she wasn’t neglecting her little girl, she was berating her. She routinely left Deasia alone in the care of strangers in a dirty apartment where she didn’t have enough food or clothing. Once, a teenager was assaulted inside of the family’s apartment while babysitting Deasia and her older brother.

The Cycle of Instability

Her dysfunctional start to life took a severe toll on the little girl. According to her therapist, Deasia suffered from grief and abandonment issues. Additionally, she barely spoke for the first four years of her life. According to a social worker, Deasia didn’t even have a vocabulary. In 1998, when Deasia was only just 3 years old, a court prosecutor wrote that there are reasonable grounds to believe the children are in immediate danger.

Now, for the next decade, Deasia became part of a juvenile court proceeding that would involve dozens of hearings, countless reports from therapists and social workers, and stints in at least five homes, including an emergency shelter for kids. Even when others tried to step in and care for Deasia, her mother argued that she should retain custody, and she went to court repeatedly demanding that her daughter be returned home.

Juvenile court magistrates took custody of Deasia and her brother in 1998. Now, because the two kids had different fathers, each went to live temporarily with a different relative. Deasia’s father, Terrence Watkins, was in prison for at least part of her formative years and was completely absent for the rest of it. For a little while, Deasia’s home life improved, and social workers believed that she was happy and well cared for.

Brief Stability and Further Upheaval

However, the aunt who was acting as her temporary guardian was unable to continue her care due to personal problems. When that aunt gave up custody, a family friend did agree to take her in. She was just 5 years old at the time. Foster mother Barbara Owens, who had raised 10 kids of her own, thought that she could give Deasia a stable home. Plus, Barbara had a lot of grandkids that she could play with.

Deasia was smart and seemed like a normal kid in many ways. But Barbara observed that the girl’s tough upbringing weighed on her, noting that Deasia was probably going through a hard time and that you could tell that she was holding stuff in. Yet, like many kids who get taken away from their parents, Deasia continued to ask about her mother, even during long absences, wondering if Tina still thought about her. This would become something that the little girl would lament about with her therapist. And as we see in many, many cases, reunification with a troubled parent sometimes is not the best course of action.

In 2005, Tina came back into the picture. She petitioned the court to regain custody of her kids and accused Barbara Owens of neglecting her daughter, which was ridiculous as Deasia was thriving in her care. Tina had a lot of hurdles to overcome. She had repeatedly failed to do what the court had asked her to do before losing custody, including dropping out of drug treatment, missing appointments for supervised visits, and not paying her bills. She also skipped her daughter’s therapy sessions with a counselor.

Legal Battles and More Disruption

On the day of her custody hearing, Tina didn’t show. She explained her absence in a written plea to the magistrate:

“I am a good mother. I love my children with all of my heart. I missed the bus, so I had to wait for the next one, and that was an hour wait.”

She kept up her court fight, and even after her complaint against Barbara was dismissed, she continued to see her daughter during supervised visits. The constant turmoil, court battles, and Tina popping in and out of her life on a whim took a whole other toll on Deasia. Her grades in school started to suffer, and she struggled with trust issues, especially with mother figures such as Tina and Barbara.

But a year later, things weren’t going to get any better for Deasia. Barbara Owens gave up custody due to constant harassment from Deasia’s biological relatives. It was just too much for her. At just 12 years old, Deasia was taken to the Lighthouse shelter. She was without a home again, and her mistrust in those who were supposed to care for her was affirmed.

Before long, another relative, Michelle Johnson, stepped in and took temporary custody of Deasia. Social workers said she provided a good home for the young girl, but Tina could not help but disrupt things for her young daughter. She went back to court once again to demand custody. Her custody claim was dismissed for the final time in December 2008 when she failed to show up for court. Deasia was 14 years old at this time.

History Repeats Itself

On December 4th, 2014, when she was just 20 years old, Deasia welcomed daughter Janiah into the world with a man by the name of James Brown. But sadly for Janiah, history would begin to repeat itself.

After giving birth, Deasia was prevented from seeing her daughter for 72 hours because she displayed erratic behavior, which led to the diagnosis of postpartum psychosis, for which she was provided the medication risperidone. The new mother was never to come in contact with her daughter unless she was taking the prescription; otherwise, she would be a threat to her safety.

On January 24th, 2015, at 11:16 p.m., Sergeant Richard Foster, as well as other responding officers, were called to a home for a suspected infant that was in trouble. Upon arrival, he could clearly hear an adult female screaming incoherently, as well as the sound of a baby crying. According to Sergeant Foster, it sounded like the woman was screaming for the baby to stop its crying. He then knocked at the door, to which he received no answer. The screaming continued, and the sergeant began to bang on the door demanding that the woman open it up. He could hear the baby continue to cry, but the wailing had stopped. Still, there was no answer.

The Interventions and Safety Concerns

The sergeant pounded a few more times and stated that he was going to force his way inside. At that point, a male stated, “Don’t kick the door in,” and then opened up the door. A huge waft of smoke filled the air. When asked what was going on, the man, identified later as Christopher Gilly, stated he had no idea what was going on because he had headphones on.

The screaming woman, who turned out to be Deasia Watkins, was holding her newborn daughter, standing in the middle of the room, swaying and staring off into the distance. By now, the baby had stopped crying. Deasia was incoherent and would not answer the officer or even acknowledge his presence. Due to this, EMS was dispatched for a possible psychiatric emergency.

Upon arrival of emergency services, Deasia continued to refuse to talk and had to be restrained while officers and EMS units wrestled the baby from her arms. She laid on the ground with her body rigid as paramedics struggled to put her in a stair chair. Eventually, she was wrapped in a sheet and carried out of the home by the EMS units.

According to Christopher Gilly, Deasia had been acting strange for the last couple of weeks, speaking in tongues, acting crazy, and talking about demons. The baby’s father, James Brown, was contacted at work, and he returned to the apartment to care for the newborn while Deasia was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and later transferred to Deaconess Hospital for a 72-hour hold. James stated that Deasia had been talking in tongues and seeing things for the past couple of weeks. James also admitted to authorities that he had never seen Deasia take her prescribed medication.

Removal and Tragic Return

Janiah was first placed with James after the January 25th incident, and Deasia was permitted to move back in with him after she got out of the hospital. She was not, however, allowed to be alone with her daughter and was told that she could only stay in the home if she took her medication. Social workers checked on Janiah at least seven times while she was in James’ care, usually at his home for as much as 2 hours and as little as 10 minutes. After each visit, social workers determined Janiah appeared to be healthy and in good condition.

The baby was removed from James’ home after a March 6th court hearing when a judge determined that Deasia had stopped taking her medication and had been seen nursing Janiah, even though she was told that she could not do so because of the medication she was taking. Hamilton County’s Job and Family Services took custody of Janiah and temporarily placed her in the custody of Deasia’s aunt, who has not been named, on the condition that the mother not be allowed in the home.

The aunt was given specific instructions that neither mother nor father could have contact with the baby and that imminent risk of harm existed if Janiah returned to her surroundings. The baby’s father, James, didn’t have custodial rights due to the fact that he had not formally established paternity. Initially, Deasia continued to reside with her baby’s father, James. But at some point, her aunt allowed her to move into her home at the 5900 block of Waldway Lane in Cincinnati’s College Hill neighborhood, which violated the custody agreement that the aunt held with Hamilton County Job and Family Services.

The Horrific Discovery

On March 16th, 2015, a 5-year-old relative had been dropped off at the home in order to wait for the school bus. However, when he entered the home on Waldway Lane, he made a shocking discovery that no little boy should ever have to make. Little Janiah, just three months old, was dead. Her tiny body was laying on the kitchen counter in a pool of her own blood. She had been decapitated. A chef’s knife was placed in her own hand.

The chilling 911 call captured the sheer horror of the moment:

911: “911 emergency, address of your emergency?” Caller: “Somebody please send the police. My niece, baby, please.” 911: “What happened?” Caller: “I don’t know where my little cousin at. The baby is on my mama’s kitchen counter with his head smashed… Please send the police!” 911: “Is the baby breathing?” Caller: “Listen, lady, the baby is deceased.” 911: “Who is the mother?” Caller: “Deasia.” 911: “What is Deasia’s last name?” Caller: “Watkins.” 911: “Is she there right now?” Caller: “No, I don’t know where she’s at. That’s the problem…”

Deasia was found in bed pretending to be asleep, covered in blood. After another 72-hour hold at Deaconess Hospital, she was booked at the Hamilton County Jail for aggravated homicide and held in lieu of a $500,000 bond, which was later increased to $5 million.

Trial, Verdict, and Aftermath

When the trial began in April of 2015, a judge ordered that Deasia undergo treatment and postponed her court date for six months. She was found competent to stand trial in September of 2015. During multiple court appearances, Deasia was seen exhibiting blank stares with little discernable reaction to her surroundings. Her attorney argued that she had no idea what was going on around her.

After performing Janiah’s autopsy, College Hill medical examiner Dr. Lakshmi Samarco concluded that the 3-month-old baby was decapitated due to multiple stab wounds to the neck area—15 in total. She also suffered a fractured arm prior to her death. The chef’s knife that had been placed in her hand was indeed the weapon that took her life. And Deasia had placed it there in order to make it look like her three-month-old baby had cut her own head off. Yes, you heard that correctly. Deasia tried to make it look like her baby had taken her own life in one of the most grotesque manners that you can imagine—something that would have been physically impossible for her to do.

On February 23rd, 2017, after spending two years at Summit Behavioral Healthcare in Roselawn, Ohio, Deasia Watkins pled guilty to the homicide of her daughter, Janiah. She had previously pled not guilty to the charge of aggravated homicide and rejected a plea deal just months prior.

At sentencing, she told the judge:

“I loved my daughter very much. I loved her regardless of what anybody says.”

She was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison with credit for time served. As of the date of this recording, she will be eligible for parole in just 10 years.