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A home daycare operator in Ohio could potentially spend the rest of her life in prison after she was found guilty of killing a 5-month-old, whom she called “fussy.”
Franklin County Judge Bill Sperlazza sentenced Tammra R. Straughter to serve life with the possibility of parole in a state correctional facility on Wednesday, October 7, in connection to the 2024 killing of Kashan R. Crawford-Chatman. Straughter, 54, will be eligible for parole after she serves a minimum of 15 years in prison.
She was sentenced less than one month after a jury found her guilty of one count of murder and one count of child endangerment in August. After she learned her sentence, the court credited her with 54 days of time already served since she remained in custody after her conviction.
The incident that landed Straughter behind bars took place on October 9, 2023, when Crawford-Chatman’s mother, Stacia Crawford, dropped him and his twin brother — who were born prematurely in April 2023 — off at the daycare Straughter operated out of her home in Reynoldsburg, according to criminal and civil court documents viewed by Law & Crime.
A few hours after Crawford dropped her sons off at the daycare, Reynoldsburg police called her to say that Crawford-Chatman had briefly stopped breathing at the daycare and EMTs had arrived to help him. Her civil lawsuit noted that she was then told that he was breathing again and was OK.
Following the incident, Straughter told Crawford that “she had hit Kashan on his back after he choked on formula, left to help another child, and when she returned, Kashan appeared to be having trouble breathing.”
Crawford later took her son to an urgent care facility to be checked, and he stopped breathing again.
The boy was taken to a nearby hospital in an ambulance, but he “coded” while they were on the way. He was soon transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for treatment, and staff “immediately noticed bruising on Kashan’s body.”
“He also has two jaw fractures and bruises all over his body,” the lawsuit stated. “They told Ms. Crawford that Kashan’s injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome and that his brain was swelling.”
Crawford-Chatman was pronounced dead less than one week after he got to the hospital.
In light of their findings, hospital staff reported the injuries to Franklin County Children Services and an investigation into possible physical abuse was launched.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office ultimately determined that Crawford-Chatman’s death was a homicide caused by “closed head injury consistent with shaken baby syndrome.”
Crawford’s lawsuit stated that Children Services later found evidence of Straughter’s physical abuse, and that authorities found no proof that the boy’s parents abused him.
Both the lawsuit and prosecutors argued that Straughter violently shook Crawford-Chatman, which caused the injuries that led to his death.
Straughter was arrested in February 2024 on murder and child endangerment charges. At the time, she told police that the child had been “fussy” during the day and did not explain how he sustained his injuries, according to WBNS.
Authorities also searched Straughter’s phone, which reportedly showed she deleted messages in which she complained about the “fussiness” of the twin boys.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
