EMPORIA, Va. -- An Emporia man is behind bars for the death of a five-month-old infant.
"My baby did not deserve to die like this," Bronte Adams, the infant's mother, said. "My baby, she didn't deserve to die at all. I'm heartbroken."
Born October 28, 2021, Paisley Christina Ann Adams lived a total of just 175 days.
"I literally want to die because someone took my child away from me," Adams said.
"So for me in over 33 years, this is probably the worst case," Emporia Police Chief Ricky Pinksaw said. "This was brutal and vicious. This was inhumane."
On Monday, police got a call from a hospital in Emporia, reporting that an infant had been beaten.
The child's injuries were so severe that she was taken to VCU Medical Center where she died on Thursday night.
"We found out that the caretaker of the infant that day was the mother's boyfriend, Shatez Damuar-Quadre Franklin," Pinksaw said.
"This is someone I knew and trusted. I've met his entire immediate family so it's very hard to think that he would do something to my child because, to my knowledge, he loved my child and treated my child like she was his own child," Adams said.
Franklin has been arrested and charged with malicious wounding, aggravated sexual battery and felony child neglect.
"Right now, we are waiting for the autopsy report, some further findings, some forensic findings from both the PERK Kit and all the other things that were done, both at MCV and the coroner's office. Once we get those, we'll be able to determine what type of murder charge and or other charges there may be," Patricia Wilson, the Commonwealth's Attorney for Emporia-Greensville County said.
Franklin is currently being held in the regional jail without bond.
