Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez announced that the parents of Shavon Miles, a 13-year old girl, were convicted for the First-Degree Murder of their own child.
The stepfather, Gabriel Sloan, was sentenced with a 50-year prison term, whereas the mother of the child, Lynnesia Hiles-Sloan, was sentenced with a 58-year-imprisonment. The 13-year-old developmentally disabled child was beaten to death after fainting. The parents pled guilty to the killing of their own daughter in 2007.
Investigations of the prosecutors handling the case revealed that on the night of August 3, 2007, the victim had fainted in the kitchen after a long walk to and from the currency exchange shop her family went to. Shavon, who had developmental disabilities and was completely blind with one eye and partially blind in the other, was thrown by her stepfather onto the walls of their house and to the floor, believing that the stepdaughter had faked the fainting. The parents were deeply enraged, which led to the brutal beating of the child. The mother had reportedly whipped Shavon with an extension cord, and also beat her with a two-by-four.
Upon noticing that Shavon has been unresponsive, the mother decided to call 911 and told the operator that their daughter had fallen and suffered a seizure. The victim was taken to the Holy Cross Hospital, where she was pronounced Dead-on-Arrival.
The report from a medical examiner revealed that Shavon has been suffering from long-term physical abuse. Old and new bleeding in her brain was found, as well as injuries to her liver and lungs. Furthermore, Shavon’s skin was bruised and appeared to have been burned with cigarettes. Shavon was also extremely malnourished, weighing only about 73 pounds with a height of 4 feet 8 inches, and a BMI of about 16.4, which is severely underweight. It was also noted that Shavon’s malnutrition was also a contributing factor to her death. In summary, Shavon has suffered extensive hemorrhaging and sustained injuries of over 50 external and 17 internal injuries.
Prior to the detectives arriving to investigate on the hospital’s suspicion of Shavon’s abuse and murder, the parents of the victim had left the hospital and went straight home in order to dispose of the evidence to the crime; however, police, later on, found the two-by-four board used in the beating of Shavon in a trash bin near the house. A recorded statement where the couple had admitted to attempting to dispose of evidence has been retrieved.
The twin brother of the victim, who was present at the time of Shavon’s death, is currently put under the care of their family members. Department of Child and Family Services also investigated Shavon’s death and on the allegations of abuse and neglect. A neighbor of the family, Emma Anderson, told the prosecutors that the family tried well to keep the happenings to themselves. Moreover, the biological father of Shavon, Marcus Miles, claimed that the mother of the child had refused to let him see their children for almost ten years until they have successfully had a reunion in July of 2007, a month before the girl’s death. He further testified that he consistently asked his daughter if something or anything is wrong at home, but also that she would not say anything.
Cook County Judge Thomas Hennelly, Judge Raymond Myles, and Judge Steven Goebel had given the sentence and ordered them held without bail. The stepfather was convicted after a jury trial in April of 2012, whereas the mother was convicted in May of 2012.
Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez commended the Assistant State’s Attorneys Martin Moore, and Toni Giancola, and thanked the Chicago Police Department for their exemplary work on the case.
Updated: July 28, 2020