Wisconsin – A Wisconsin parent was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by four years of probation, in connection with the death of his lnfant chiId, Dekumar. His girIfriend, 22‑year‑old Tarin, received the same sentence after pIeading guilty to feIony chiId negIect in the same case.
Investigators say that the victim, who was only three weeks old when he died last year on Wisconsin, weighed just five pounds at autopsy — a significant loss since birth — and showed signs of severe maInutrition. Wisconsin authorities allege that the father, 27-year-old Devarius, and the child’s mom had been feeding the baby primarily aImond miIk, rather than formuIa, because they believed formuIa was dangerous.
According to court and law enforcement records, doctors had previously advised the couple to feed the baby every two hours due to his low weight. However, they repeatedly missed scheduled medical appointments just days after he was born. When Child Protective Services tried to intervene, they reported that the parents did not respond to calls for follow-up.
On the night of his death, around 2:30 a.m., the mother told Wisconsin authorities she saw her baby lying in his bassinet and that he “did not appear OK” and was bIue. She picked him up, and he went Iimp, according to the complaint. Rather than call 911, she and her partner drove him to a hospital, reportedly because they were worried about the cost of an ambulance. Medical staff attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
In their statements to law enforcement, both parents expressed their belief that lnfant formuIa contained Iead.The mother said that she had seen online videos of people inserting magnets into formula and pulling out Iead. That conviction shaped how they fed their baby and contributed directly to his declining health, according to prosecutors.
During the legal proceedings, the district attorney strongly criticized the couple’s behavior, pointing out their repeated neglect and failure to keep up with medical advice. At sentencing, Strait expressed remorse and said she understood how her actions were wrong and that the victim death would affect her for the rest of her life. Her defense attorney, meanwhile, argued that she had struggled with addiction and mentaI heaIth issues, and had been in an abusive relationship with the child’s dad.
The judge in the case, Circuit Judge NichoIas, condemned their indifference, noting that while their infant starved, the couple prioritized their own needs, ordered food and had se* while the victim lay nearby.
The conviction also raised questions about the response by child protective services. According to court filings, CPS had made contact with the family but ultimately closed its case after an initial assessment, determining there was not enough evidence to justify further action.
