NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk woman is charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of her 3-month-old granddaughter in April of 2024.
Police say Alvetta Haskins, 50, was taken into custody on Jan. 1.
Around 12:20 a.m. on April 22, officers were sent to the 100 block of Suburban Parkway after a report came in about an unresponsive infant, police say. After first responders arrived, the baby was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The baby's manner of death was initially considered undetermined, but police say a medical examiner has since ruled the death as a homicide.
Court documents claim the infant died of an overdose of an anti-psychotic medication used to treat mood disorders that was prescribed to the Haskins.
“She didn’t have any medication to give the baby. She gave the baby some nightquil to break that cold up. That’s all she gave the baby,” Joseph Johnson Jr. said, Haskins' fiance.
The documents say the grandmother, who was the baby's primary caregiver, doesn’t know how her granddaughter got the medication.
Online court records show Haskins has been charged with assault on a family member in multiple separate cases in the past, including for an incident that happened five days after the baby's death.
“The baby passed away in her sleep in here. I was here right on this bed,” Johnson said. “She brought the baby to me and said the baby wan’t responding so I tried to give the baby CPR but the baby had already passed.”
Haskins was arrested on January 1st.
She was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and battery on a family member in February 2023. In two of the cases, the charges were nolle prosequi, meaning the charges were dropped but could come back up in the future.
Haskins was arrested on Jan. 1 and is being held at the Norfolk City Jail without bond.
