A 29-year-old woman appeared before a judge on Thursday morning at the Shelby County Criminal Court to face a first-degree charge of murder in the death of a 3-year-old boy, according to court documents. The boy was found beaten to death by police at a residence in Memphis, Tennessee, on Nov. 5.
The boy’s father, Keith Horton, said he arrived at the home to find his son unresponsive and declared dead at the scene. “I get to the house; she’s standing outside,” Horton recalled. “I have the fire department all in the house. I go in there to see my son. He’s ice cold; he’s purple. He had been dead.”
Mosby initially told police that she had the boy go to bed after he got sick, according to investigators. She later allegedly admitted that she burned the boy’s genitals and ear with a lit cigarette after he urinated on the floor. Mosby said that when the boy disobeyed her, she hit him on the head and chest and stomped on him. An autopsy report revealed the boy had a lacerated liver, internal bleeding from his stomach, bruising on his torso, as well as burns to his ear and genitals. A medical examiner determined the cause of death to be homicide.
Mosby was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravate child neglect. The boy’s grandmother expressed sorrow, saying, “I feel bad because we loved him. I loved him like he was mine. Like I had him. Like I love my oldest son.” A GoFundMe page was set up by the boy’s aunt, who claimed that his biological mother was incarcerated and that some of the funds were needed to bond her out so she could attend the funeral. Mosby is scheduled to appear in court next on Dec. 11.
