Few things can be worse for a mother than losing a child, but one mother in Ohio shocked everyone by defending the person who was convicted of brutally taking her child from her.
The comments that shocked the court came after Traveon Hughes Sr., 20, was convicted Friday of murder, involuntary manslaughter, and child endangerment in connection with the June 25, 2022, death of his 13-week-old son, according to Cleveland.com, the website of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The family had moved to Cleveland from Chicago and two days before the boy's death.
The infant, Traveon Jr., died on June 25, 2022, only two days after his father and mother, Acieiona McEwen, moved to Cleveland.
The boy was born 13 weeks premature and so, at about eight pounds, was only about the size of an average newborn despite being more than three months old, and that size was a relevant point during Traveon Hughes Sr.'s trial.
Hughes testified at trial that the child's death was accidental and occurred after he left a baby wipe on the baby's chest and then left the room to care for his still-healing gunshot wounds he suffered while living in Chicago.
NEW: Courtroom stunned after the mother of a murdered 13-month-old baby gets up and *defends* the father who killed him.
They're perfect for each other.
Acieiona McEwan defended Traveon Hughes Sr who was found guilty of murdering their child after he shoved a wipe down the… pic.twitter.com/MA2ASlOrxo
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 1, 2024
The now-convicted man said that the child's bib was soaked in milk, so he took it off and placed the baby wipe there. But when he returned to the room, the baby had somehow grabbed the wipe and sucked it down into his throat, choking him.
The baby was alive when paramedics arrived, but died at a hospital, Cleveland.com reported.
Hughes claimed his son's choking death was entirely accidental.
However, medical professionals testified at the trial that the baby was far too small and physically incapable of being able to grab the wipe, ball it up, and shove it down his own throat. Instead, prosecutors maintained that Hughes balled the wipe up and forced it down the child's throat to stop him from crying.
"These precious little hands did not have the ability to pick up that wipe and shove it in his mouth, let alone ball it up and push it that far in," Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Kerry Sowul said during the trial, according to Cleveland.com.
"We’re here to get justice for Traveon Hughes Jr.," she added.
Hughes was convicted of murdering the child and at sentencing, the judge agreed to impose the maximum sentence sought by the prosecution: Life in prison with the possibility of parole in 15 years.
Acieiona McEwen, the convict's girlfriend and the mother of the child he killed was furious over the verdict and sentence.
In a statement to the court, she blamed doctors at the hospital for mishandling the boy's treatment and failing to save Traveon Jr.'s life, according to Clevaland.com.
She shocked the courtroom by sticking up for Hughes and for delivering harsh words to the court, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
Despite losing her baby to such a brutal death, McEwen defended told the court: "Y'all is making a mistake. Y'all know what y'all did to my child, and y'all are not going to get away with this.
"That's all I got to say, have a wonderful day."
Since the boy's death, the couple have since had another child, a 1-year-old named Miracle, Cleveland.com reported.
According to Cleveland.com, Hughes' mother, Sandra Norwood, also defended her son at court, saying, "Ohio is going to get sick of me, because justice will prevail."
Not everyone in Hughes' extended family spoke up for him, though. Acieiona McEwen's own parents spoke against Hughes and said they wanted justice for their little grandson, the Daily Mail reported.
Acie McEwan, the child's grandfather, told his own daughter in court, "Stop trying to take up for that man. He killed that baby."
And, according to the Daily Mail, Martrelle Wilcox, the child’s great uncle, added, “That man doesn’t deserve to see the light of day. I don’t usually wish jail on my worst enemy, but that boy couldn’t even defend himself."
