Spanaway mom pleads not guilty to killing son
SPANAWAY, Wash. -- A local mother accused of killing her own son pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder on Tuesday, even though prosecutors say she admitted to having caused the fatal injury.
Domenique A. Conway of Tacoma was arrested on Monday after an autopsy revealed the 5-month-old died of a skull fracture, most likely the result of being punched in the head.
The medical examiner's office identified the boy as Nathaniel Dwayne Noel, one of Conway's twin babies.
"The other twin was already in the custody of Child Protective Services," said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
CPS says the killed boy's twin was voluntarily placed in its custody because he needed intensive medical care as a result of premature birth.
On Sunday, Conway, 25, called 911 to report her son was unconscious and Troyer said the boy was dead when deputies arrived.
According to a statement of probable cause, Noel initially claimed she didn't strike the boy, but later admitted to investigators that she caused Nathaniel's skull fracture.
Court documents say Noel was changing the boy's diaper, but she was frustrated because he was crying loudly and squirming. She said two other children were fighting in an adjacent room and, out of frustration, she struck Nathaniel with her closed fist twice on the left side of his head. The boy eventually died from internal bleeding.
Child Protective Services says a social worker visited Conway's home one day after the baby was punched. The social worker noticed a red spot in one eye and a spot on his chin. Conway claimed they were from the baby rubbing his clothes.
The dead boy's 2-year-old and 6-year-old siblings were taken from the home and have been turned over to child welfare workers. CPS has launched an investigation into everyone who had contact with the baby, including its own staff members.
The judge set Conway's bail at $500,000. She is due back in court on March 27. Her trial is set to begin May 5.
Domenique A. Conway of Tacoma was arrested on Monday after an autopsy revealed the 5-month-old died of a skull fracture, most likely the result of being punched in the head.
The medical examiner's office identified the boy as Nathaniel Dwayne Noel, one of Conway's twin babies.
"The other twin was already in the custody of Child Protective Services," said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
CPS says the killed boy's twin was voluntarily placed in its custody because he needed intensive medical care as a result of premature birth.
On Sunday, Conway, 25, called 911 to report her son was unconscious and Troyer said the boy was dead when deputies arrived.
According to a statement of probable cause, Noel initially claimed she didn't strike the boy, but later admitted to investigators that she caused Nathaniel's skull fracture.
Court documents say Noel was changing the boy's diaper, but she was frustrated because he was crying loudly and squirming. She said two other children were fighting in an adjacent room and, out of frustration, she struck Nathaniel with her closed fist twice on the left side of his head. The boy eventually died from internal bleeding.
Child Protective Services says a social worker visited Conway's home one day after the baby was punched. The social worker noticed a red spot in one eye and a spot on his chin. Conway claimed they were from the baby rubbing his clothes.
The dead boy's 2-year-old and 6-year-old siblings were taken from the home and have been turned over to child welfare workers. CPS has launched an investigation into everyone who had contact with the baby, including its own staff members.
The judge set Conway's bail at $500,000. She is due back in court on March 27. Her trial is set to begin May 5.