Sonia King, the woman who was charged with suffocating her eight-year-old son just over three years ago, admitted to the crime yesterday and now awaits sentencing for manslaughter.
While King was initially indicted on the charge of murdering Emmanuel King on February 21st, 2016, she pleaded guilty yesterday to the lesser charge before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury.
King, of Lot 505 La Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, is being represented by attorney Mark Conway, while the state’s case is being prosecuted by Teriq Mohamed, Tuanna Hardy and Sarah Martin.
Prosecutor Mohamed told the court that the accused, in a caution statement, admitted that “Ah jus’ holding him down. Me son was kicking up wid his foot. Ah hold de sheet there until he stop moving an then ah go an call Robert an tell he a kill Emmanuel.”
It was further stated that according to the post-mortem report, Emmanuel died of asphyxiation.
Justice Singh ordered that a probation report be done for King and adjourned the proceedings until July 16th, when the probation report is expected to be read and a sentence handed down.
It was previously reported that King had initially told police investigators that her son and his nine-year-old cousin were picking guavas from a tree, located opposite their home and he fell seven feet to the ground. She claimed then that she rubbed his body and shortly after he proceeded to bed. Upon making a check on him later the same evening, she said he was discovered lying motionless on the bed. He was rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival.
King was arrested by the police after she reportedly confessed to the child’s father that she strangled the boy with a bed sheet since he was being “wicked” and wasn’t taking his school work seriously.
